Unusual You
by BoredomInspiresMe
Summary: Ichigo has a lot to deal with—Arrancar, Visoreds, his inner hollow, school and…. a girlfriend? My version of season 9, I have included an OC and a lot bleach goodness. OC/Ichigo/Grimmjow/Renji/Aizen & Orihime/Ulquiorra Oh the drama
1. Prologue

**Prologue **

Ichigo was lying in his bed as he thought over all that had happened in the last few days. Sunday night, a guy named Shinji Hirako asked him to join a group called the Visoreds and then willingly produced a hollow mask similar to what Ichigo had done unconsciously. Ichigo wondered who the hell he was and what the hell did he want with him? Of course Ichigo declined his offer, but even as he tried to sleep it was still on his mind. Then Monday morning, Shinji enrolled in his class and once again, asked him again to join the Visoreds, explaining that Ichigo's inner hollow will overwhelm him if he doesn't. Ichigo sighed as he realized that his inner hollow was indeed becoming more than he could control. It's enough to have to battle with an enemy, but having to battle an enemy and his own inner hollow at the same time was becoming a struggle. He hadn't even been home a week and already there were problems developing—it wasn't like he wasn't up to a fight, but sometimes he wondered what it would be like to be a "normal" teenage boy. To hang out, party, date, have a girlfriend….every now and then these thoughts invaded his mind. He would never change anything about his life, but he sometimes wondered if he would ever have what other teenagers had. He wasn't like other Shirigami; he was still a teenager and was becoming curious about other things besides Soul Society.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Once again Ichigo had a long day at school; his first day back and already he missed summer. Classes would be a pain and once again outside factors were starting to become a problem for him. Through the whole day all he could do was think about the offer Shinji made and what was going on with him. Shinji was right, his inner hollow was starting to affect him both physically and mentally. Sighing he opened his front door and wasn't even prepared for an assault from his father.

"Welcome home Ichigo!" Isshin greeted his son at the door with a punch to the ground, to his surprise Ichigo didn't defend himself.

"What are you doing dad?" Yuzu stated, "Are you okay Onii-chan?"

"Ichigo you don't seem like yourself." Isshin stated as he watched his son slowly rise to his feet, "I got it, today you did terrible on your first test after break didn't you?"

"Sorry, but I'm going to stay in my room until dinner." Ichigo replied as he headed for his room.

"Huh? Ichigo?" Isshin stumbled, confused by Ichigo's lack of interest. By now they would be fighting in the living room. _"What's going on with him?" _Once Ichigo reached his room, he collapsed on his bed and ignored the comments Kon and Rihin made about him. He told them that he wanted to be alone right now. Both of them took the hint and left him deal with his worries. Ichigo closed his eyes and remembered fighting the Bount doll and how his hollow nearly overpowered him.

"_You still bitching about that?" _Ichigo cringed at the sound of his hollow's voice

"After I drove you out, that mask keeps coming back, even if I threw it away. And when it disappeared, that's when you appeared in its place." Ichigo groaned

"_Glad you noticed." He laughed, "Hey, I have an idea, how about we end this little song and dance, you take a back seat and just enjoy the ride. We both know you're a getting tired of fighting me; this way you can get your break and I can take over the yard."_

"Never! Get out my head!" Ichigo yelled

"_Have it your way King, but sooner than you like, you'll be a good little horse for me. I will devour you." _Suddenly there was a knock at the door,Ichigo's eyes widened

"Ichi-chan, can I come in?"

"Karin?" he paused sitting up from the bed, "Come in." She entered his room and closed the door behind her.

"I want you to tell me what you're worried about, Ichi-nii." Karin said

"What are you talking about? I'm not worried about anything." Ichigo replied smiling at her

"I know." She paused looking him dead in the eyes, "I know you're a Shinigami." Ichigo's eyes widened in shock as her words registered. _"How does she know?!" _

_**~Meanwhile at Urahara's shop~**_

"I never thought I would be making a Gigai for you, guess even Social Society believes in redemption." Urahara said as he sat down at his tea table with her. She watched her surroundings carefully—everything was new to her and would take time to adjust to.

"No they just believe in sacrificing the least valuable over others, you should know that." She replied. Urahara watched her carefully, all the years that had passed hadn't done much to change her attitude, but she was right. For the job she was assigned, she was the best "expendable" Shinigami they had.

"Anyone else know you're here?" he asked sipping from his tea

"Renji and all of the captains know I'm here, Renji is my acting parole officer. I report to him every now and then to make sure I'm killing the right people." She replied

"How do you feel about that?"

"Could be worse..." Was her only reply, Urahara didn't ask any more questions as he didn't want to push the wrong buttons.

"I've designed your Gigai like the others, along with it I've made this necklace for you. It will allow you to release your soul from your Gigai easily." Urahara handed the small necklace to her and watched as she looked it over. He figured she would take note of the charm dangling from it. It was a Japanese symbol meaning Hope.

"Nice joke, I appreciate humor." She commented placing it next to the other things he supplied her with. About to sip from her tea, she stopped as she felt a strong spiritual pressure approaching the town. Urahara watched her; it was true she felt spiritual pressure before others did. Moments later he felt what she did.

"Do you know what it is?" he asked

"Not hollow, the reiatsu is darker. It's an Arrancar." She replied

"Looks like your first job, try not to make it your last. Remember their not just Hollows." Urahara warned her as she stood up and picked up her Zanpaktou.

"I'll be back." She replied leaving his shop and headed in the direction of the reiastu.

_**~Ichigo's Room~**_

"What's with this Shinigami stuff?" Ichigo asked

"Don't fool around with me." Karin replied, "I can see them—I've been able to for a long time now…." Suddenly they both felt spiritual pressure rising. Ichigo knew he would have to headed toward the source of the reiastu and leave Karin's questions on hold for a second.

"I'm sorry I don't have time for this." He turned to leave the room, but Karin grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going Ichi-nii?" she demanded

"Sorry." Ichigo pulled his arm away and released his soul from his body. Karin watched as his body fell to the bed and Ichigo flew out the window.

_**In the park~**_

"Hmm, I came here many times when I was still masked, but man this place is as boring as ever." A giant Arrancar stated as he and another examined their surroundings. The two were sent on Aizen's orders to find a target in the town.

"Don't complain, I believe I said I could handle this on my own but you insisted on coming along Yami." A shorter more serious looking Arrancar replied

"My bad, I'm just saying this place is dead." Yami said as he walked out from the hole they had created when they emerged into town. Reaching the top, he found people gathered around examining the hole. "What the hell? What's with all these people? Stop looking at me like that."

"They can't see you fool; all they see is the hole in the ground."

"Right! Forgot about that." Yami laughed as the other Arrancar sighed, "Guess if they can't see me they wouldn't mind this." Suddenly his mouth turned into a vacuum and started to stuck in all the spirit energy of the people. Within moments they were unconscious or dead.

"Are you done?"

"That was nasty! They all taste like shit." Yami groaned, "How many people should we kill in this dump?"

"Just one." The other Arrancar replied walking beside him, "There's no need to kill anyone else."

"Only one? Come on Ulquiorra! Where is the fun in that?" Yami complained

"If it makes you feel better, I heard that there are three people in this town with reiastu levels high enough to put up a fight. If we cross paths with them, you may get to fight someone. But until then, everyone else is just trash. Remember we are here for one person." Ulquiorra replied. As they were walking over the mass of bodies, they stopped as a survivor slowly rose to their feet.

"Hey Ulquiorra, is this the one?" Yami asked standing over the girl

Ulquiorra looked her over, "No, she's trash like the others." Yami smiled, soon his hand was reaching for her neck, when suddenly his hand was knocked down by a burst of energy. Chad and Orihime finally arrived at the park just in time to save the survivor.

"Inoue, do as we discussed; take cover and help any survivors." Chad stated as he prepared himself to fight the Arrancar. Orihime did as he requested and stayed back.

"Ulquiorra, is this the one?" Yami asked

"No this guy is trash." Ulquiorra replied

"I see." With a smile Yami began to fight Chad, sadly he was no match for the Arrancar as the first hit sent him to the ground in a bloody mess. Orihime rushed towards him,

"Sado-kun!" she screamed as she looked over his wounds

"Ulquiorra, is this woman trash too?" Yami asked

After a few moments of looking her over, Ulquiorra replied, "Yes." As Yami approached Orihime, she prepared to defend herself.

"Santen Kesshen hun!" a shield formed around her as she started to heal Chad. Yami however easily broke through the shield and left her defenseless. Ulquiorra watched as she healed Chad, he was intrigued at how her power worked.

"Is it a healing technique? No that is not it, this is not a healing technique. She's either reversing time or dimensions. This is something that I have never seen before. This is a strange woman." Ulquiorra commented. He watched as she stood up and once again prepared to defend herself against Yami. This time she took the offensive and tried to attack him.

"Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun! I reject!" Her aerial attack, however was crushed by Yami's hand

"Was that a fly?"Yami asked

"Tsubaki-kun? It can't be!" Orihime cried

"Ulquiorra, what should I do with her? Should I take her back to Aizen-san since she has some weird technique? Or should I kill her?"Yami asked. Ulquiorra seemed deep in thought as he looked Orihime over once again.

"Kill her Yami." Ulquiorra suddenly answered as Orihime's eyes widened

"All right." Yami raised his hand to her and was about to give her a devastating blow like he had given Chad, when he stopped his hand in mid swing. Orihime had closed her eyes and waited for the impact, but when it didn't come she slowly opened her eyes to find Ichigo standing in front of her. The tip of his Zanpaktou aimed at Yami's hand.

"Who the hell are you?" Yami asked

"Kurosaki-kun….." Orihime stated

"I'm sorry I'm late Inoue." Ichigo said

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect them, I…." she started

"Don't apologize, Inoue. Don't worry about it. I will defeat these guys and then it will be over." Ichigo interrupted her, "Now I need you to back away. This is my fight now." She slowly nodded and did as he asked. Soon Ichigo called out Bankai—smoke surrounded him, with a slash of Tensa Zangetsu he cut through the smoke and revealed his Banki form.

"Did you say Bankai?" Yami paused, "Hey, Ulquiorra, is this the one?"

"Yes, I guess your commotion smoked him out." Ulquiorra replied as he watched Ichigo carefully. "Orange hair, black Bankai…there's no mistaking it. This is our target Yami." That was all Yami needed to hear as he started to fight with Ichigo, the fight seemed to be going in Ichigo's favor as he was able to handle his own against Yami. But suddenly Ichigo stopped and held his head. "_Switch with me!" _Ichigo's inner hollow was bothering him again. He tried to concentrate on the fight, but the hollow wouldn't give up, _"I can kick both their asses if you switch with me." _

"Go away!" Ichigo yelled, Orihime looked at him oddly, she knew something was wrong. He was so distracted that he didn't see Yami advancing at him. She stood up and ran to help him.

"Stay back!" Ichigo yelled at her, but it was too late, she caught the blow that was intended for him. Her small body went flying to the ground with a sickening thud.

"Inoue!"

"Shut up boy!" Yami yelled as he stomped on Ichigo. Soon he was beating the hell out of him.

"Damnit my body won't move! I rejected you and now you're trying to get me killed." Ichigo groaned at his inner hollow.

"That's weird, he suddenly stopped moving. I don't know what's going on, all of a sudden his reiastu started fluctuating widely." Ulquiorra took note

"I'm going to crush you boy!" Yami yelled as he was about to deliver the final blow. But suddenly, blue flames swarmed around him and separated him from Ichigo, "What the hell."

Ulquiorra examined the new situation, he was caught off guard by the sudden burst of silver flames, "This is not normal fire." He watched as Yami seemed confused and tried to touch the fire. As he did he quickly drew back his hand as a blade tried to cut it off.

"Fuck!" he yelled, "You little brat I'll have your head for that." He figured it was the boy playing tricks. Moving away from the fire, he saw a blade push through it and realized it was different from that belonging to the Shinigami. A long Scythe with two separate blades—the duel blades were two toned, black on top and white on the bottom and had silver ribbon hanging from the neck and a long black chain dangling from the end. As the owner of the weapon stepped out of the flames, Ulquiorra's eyes widened. It was a female Shinigami, but by the appearance he had no idea who she was. Her uniform was different from the other Shinigami he had seen. It was still black, but was sleeveless, a white strap draped over her shoulder, her pants were ripped at the side revealing what he presumed to be black shorts underneath, her whole kimono was cut in various places to show off black undergarments and fishnet material, her hands were covered by black fishnet gloves. Glancing up he saw her long silver like hair flowing in the fire.

"Who the hell are you bitch?" Yami yelled

"Sorry to interrupt meat head, but Kurosaki's not your opponent anymore." She paused locking her silver eyes with him, "I am." Suddenly Yami laughed while looking down at the little woman in front of him. She couldn't be serious. Yami raised his hand to her, but she blocked it with her Zanpaktou. He continued to try and attack her, but his attempts were easily blocked.

"Fool, he went at her without even evaluating his opponent." Ulquiorra sighed as he watched Yami be easily evaded by the woman.

"Stay still you bitch!" Yami yelled, suddenly she did just that, her sudden change caused him to groan. Lifting his hand to her again, he was inches away from her head when her scythe sliced through this right arm. Yami cried in pain as what was left of his right arm was burning in silver fire. Ulquiorra watched in fascination she stalked Yami—she was different from the other Shinigami, her attitude was cold, almost malicious.

"I'm sorry I forgot to mention that Izanami has a sick fascination in torturing men." She commented, Yami cradled his arm as she continued to approach him.

"Izanami? Her Zanpaktou? How is she able to cut through Yami's steel skin so easily?" Ulquiorra thought as he continued to watch her. Out of the corner his eye he saw Yami forming a soul flash in his mouth. Quickly the woman pulled prepared herself for the impact, the skies turned red as it seemed like a direct hit on her. Yami laughed as he believed he had rid them of the woman,

"Take that! There is no way she can dodge my cero at this distance."Soon his laughing stopped when the smoke slowly cleared and she was standing with her zanpaktou held tightly in front of her.

"How could she have done that? So easily, she blocked the attack and sent it into the ground."Ulquiorra continued to muse to himself about the woman

"Damn you woman!" Yami yelled

"My fire is nearly out, so let's end this foreplay," She raised the scythe in the air and slammed the blades into the ground, "Dig their grave, Izanami!" Fire emerged from the ground and aimed towards Yami. Suddenly Ulquiorra appeared in front of him and slapped the fire away. Her eyes widened as she felt the difference in their reiastu. She continued to watch the other Arrancar closely.

"Ulquiorra…." Yami paused as suddenly Ulquiorra backhanded him in the stomach—knocking the wind out of him, he stumbled back a few steps, "Ulquiorra, what are you doing?"

"You're an idiot—you're getting in over your head. We know nothing about this woman and in your current state, she could kill you." Ulquiorra replied as he turned and walked past him, "We're leaving, the mission we came here for is completed. We need to report to Aizen-Sama." He suddenly opened a black vortex and stepped in with Yami.

"I'll see you again bitch!" Yami stated before the hole closed. The woman sighed and turned her zanpaktou back to normal. At that same moment the fire barrier she had created faded away. She turned around to see Shihouin Yoruichi and Urahara giving attention to the wounded. Among them, her assignment, Kurosaki Ichigo—it was the first time she saw him up close, during his fight with Yami her attention was on looking for a chance to interfere. His back was to her, she figured he was hurt both physically and emotionally from the fight. Urahara looked at her and nodded letting her know everything was ok. Just was she was about to leave Ichigo turned his head and his eyes immediately found her, but before he could get a good look at her, she shunpoed away. Ichigo blinked his eyes, he wondered if it was his mind playing more games with him. Dropping his head again, Ichigo groaned—it was more from frustration then pain, he let them get away and needed to be rescued.

"Come on Ichigo, let's get you home and bandaged up." Urahara stated helping him up.

_**~Urahara's Shop~**_

Urahara entered his shop later that night to find he had a visitor again—with the help of Yoruichi he had helped Ichigo, Chad and Orihime home as well as take care of their injuries. He figured she would report to him her experience with the Arrancar. She was sitting by the tea table with a few bandages around her hands and her zanpaktou now looked slightly damaged.

"Have fun on your outing?" Urahara asked as he sat down across from her, she narrowed her now dark grey eyes at him, "We didn't arrive too late did we?"

"Their strong, stronger then you or soul society thinks. The big one, Yami, his flesh is like steel I had force Izanami to cut through it. But she still took damage from it and reflected that damage to my hands. But he is not even the one I'm worried about. The short one, I think he called him Ulquiorra, he slapped Izanami's fire away like it was a fly. I'm beginning to think Aisen isn't concerned with Ichigo's current state, but rather his potential. They didn't come to kill him, even if I didn't interfere, I doubt they would have killed Ichigo. They probably just wanted to evaluate him see if he is a threat. " She replied seriously, Urahara sighed, he had figured as much.

"This may get difficult, how will you be able to protect Ichigo's head as well as your own if you have to fight them again." He commented

"I don't know, I'll just need to figure something out and change my actions," She replied, "I need to rest; my body is still not used to this much activity. I guess that's what happens when you're in captivity for so long." Rising to her feet, she turned and went to sleep in a room Urahara prepared for her until she was she placed in a home.

"She's right," Urahara turned to find Yoruichi at the door, "They cannot be underestimated for any reason. While she guards Ichigo we need to find a way to fight them. I'll relate what information we have so far back to Soul Society."

"I'll continue assisting her here." He agreed, "Do you really think she is "best" suited for this? Personally besides her being expendable to Soul Society, she has skills different from other Shinigami that may be able to fight Arrancar better than us."

"I've never judged her for anything that she has done in the past; her powers are beyond what either of us could ever imagine. But we need to remember that they are a blessing just as much as they are a curse." Yoruichi replied. Deep down Urahara knew she was right; there was something darker about her powers than any other Shinigami in Soul Society. But at the moment, those powers were the only thing that could keep Ichigo alive.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The next morning Ichigo awoke feeling like crap, it wasn't his body that hurt the most it was the regret of not being able to stop Orihime and Chad from getting hurt. It was his fault he couldn't protect them; if he had been stronger and in control of his hollow, this would have never happened. He had to be saved by Urahara and Yoruichi, he feared to think what would have happened if they hadn't have showed up. After apologizing to Orihime and Chad, Ichigo made his way to school. Sighing, he entered his first class that morning; despite his father's wishes he still went to school. He had lied and told his father he got into a fight yesterday, that's why he was banged and beaten. He wished he could tell his father the truth, perhaps even get advice from him. But he couldn't tell him what was really going on, so he had to figure out what to do on his own. Taking his seat, Ichigo waited for his sensei to start class.

"Dude, you look horrible. What the hell happened to you?" Keigo commented as he turned around and looked his friend over

"Got into a fight." Was Ichigo's only reply

"Was it like ten of them? Cause dude you look…."

"Shove it Keigo, I'm not in the mood." Ichigo interrupted

"Alright class!" Sensei announced, "We have a new student today. She is a transfer from one of Hirakawa's all girl Academies. Please welcome, Kurani Hoshiko." All of the students' attention was on the door as a young girl walked in. The guys were especially happy, few whistles could be heard as she stood in front of the class.

"Airgato, Oshigoto Sensei." she replied

"You can have a seat next Kurosaki Ichigo in the back." Sensei stated as she nodded

"Dude rise your head up! Hotness coming your way." Keigo stated as he noticed Ichigo had his head down through the introduction of the school's newest hottie.

"What?" Ichigo replied annoyed by his friend's interruption of his thoughts, just then Ichigo saw a young girl walking his way. Despite never paying much attention to the girls at school, Ichigo found himself unable to take his eyes off of her. She had long black hair that flowed down to her back with a bang in the front, beautiful grey eyes, she was tall maybe around 5'10 or 5'11, long legs showed off the grey skirt that barely touched her knees, her chest couldn't rival Orihime's, but she was still endowed. Ichigo had to stop himself from staring at her, but there was something about her that kept drawing his eyes back to her. She sat down next to him and took out her books. Turning to his right, he glanced at her and was surprised when she smiled at him. Politely he smiled back and turned his attention back to the Sensei. Even as class started, Ichigo couldn't stop thinking about the girl sitting next to him. "_What's which this girl? I've never felt like this, I mean Rukia and Orihime are beautiful, but this girl is breathtaking." _Ichigo thought to himself. Every now and then Keigo would turn around and make eyes at the new girl which caused Ichigo to kick the back of his chair. The new girl would laugh at Keigo's reaction and cause Ichigo to smile at the sound of her voice. Their Sensei told them to open their history books and just as Ichigo did, he noticed that she didn't have the book.

"Would you like to share?" he asked, the words spilled out of his mouth before he could even think it over.

"Hai." She replied scooting her desk closer to his, the movement caused a few people to look at them, Keigo gave Ichigo a thumbs up, but he ignored it and placed the book in the middle of the desks so she could read from it as well, "Airgato,…"

"Kurosaki Ichigo." he whispered

"I'm Kurani Hoshiko," she smiled

"Nice to meet you Hoshiko." Ichigo replied.

When class was over, Hoshiko handed Ichigo his book and started to move her desk back. Ichigo watched as she packed up her book bag and stood up. He did the same and just as he was standing up, Keigo appeared next to Hoshiko and tried to impress her.

"Pleasure to meet you Hoshiko, my name is Asano Keigo and I thought it would only be right to introduce myself. I'm the go to guy in school, if you need anything and I do mean anything please don't be afraid to ask." Keigo stated shaking her hand

"Bullshit." Ichigo coughed as he cleared his throat, Hoshiko laughed as Keigo groaned.

"It was nice meeting both of you. Airgato again Ichigo-kun." Hoshiko commented before leaving the class room.

"Dude, she is hot! And she's from an all girl school; she probably is just waiting for a guy to crazy with." Keigo mused

"Leave her alone Keigo," Ichigo replied sitting on his desk as everyone left.

"Leave her alone? Are you crazy?" Keigo muttered, "Wait, are you interested in her? I mean if you have your eyes on her already I think I could lay off on the Asano charm."

"I'm not interested in her; I just think you're wasting your time with her. She's probably got a boyfriend or something. Besides she just got here." Ichigo replied

"Sure dude, whatever you say. I'll back off and when you decide to stop acting gay and start talking to some girls, I'll be here to guide you." Keigo laughed, "I'm headed to science lab, see you later man."

"Later." Ichigo said as he remained sitting on his desk. He thought over Keigo's suggestion that he was attracted to Hoshiko; sure she was beautiful and he stared at her for most of the class period, but that didn't mean he liked her, right? The class room door opened and he thought Keigo or Sensei forgot something. But as he turned to the door his eyes widened,

"Oi, Ichigo!"

"Renji?" Ichigo stuttered as he saw Renji standing in the door way with Hitsugaya Toshiro, Matsumoto Rangiku, Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika, "What are you doing here?"

"Orders from above," Hitsugaya replied

"We're here to prepare for the battle with the Arrancar." Renji added

"Arran…..what?" Ichigo asked

"You fought with two of them and don't even know what they were? What the hell is up with you Ichigo?" Renji asked

"You mean…."

"Idiot, the guys who beat you up the other day were Arrancars." Ichigo turned to find who made the comment and was more surprised when he found Rukia standing in the window frame, "Been a long time, Ichigo."

Ichigo couldn't help but stare at her, it had been a while. The last time that he had seen her was back in Soul Society. He was so caught up in his thoughts the idea of Rukia hitting him with a flying kick never crossed his mind until he tasted her shoe. Stumbling back, Renji caught him and held him as Rukia continued to attack him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ichigo yelled at her

"I could ask you the same question." She replied grabbing his air and dragging out his soul from his body, "Come with me. " She continued to pull him out the window and ordered him to hunch down so she could climb onto his back. Reluctantly he did as she said and continued to listen to her even as she made him run around town in search of something.

"Hey, Rukia, where on earth do you intend to take me?" Ichigo asked slightly annoyed

"Shut up! Stop talking and keep running." She replied as she checked her cell phone for any signals, "Over there!" Ichigo did as she said and landed on a roof top. He looked the space over and still couldn't understand why Rukia brought him there.

"What the hell are we doing here?" he asked, suddenly a hollow appeared, "Hollow?"

"Yes!" Rukia replied before kicking him in front of the hollow, "Go and get it."

"Are you crazy?" Ichigo yelled as the hollow noticed him and started to charge towards him

"Stop running and fight it!" Rukia yelled back

"Don't tell me what to do." He groaned, "I can handle this on my own."

"_You sure about that?" _Ichigo paused as he heard his inner hollow talk to him. He was so distracted that he didn't notice the hollow standing right over him.

"Ichigo!" Rukia yelled to get his attention, "Ever since you got beaten by those Arrancar, you have lost your edge. What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything!" Ichigo yelled trying to clear his head

"Are you afraid of defeat? Are you afraid you can't protect your friends? Are you afraid of the hollow inside you?" Rukia continued. At that point she had Ichigo's full attention, "If you're afraid of defeat, get stronger! If you're afraid you can't protect your friends, then get stronger and swear you'll protect them. If you're afraid of the hollow inside you, then get stronger and crush it!" Ichigo looked at her closely as she finally broke through his frustration and told him what he needed to hear.

"Stand strong, that's the man I believe you are!" Suddenly Ichigo's reiatsu flared and he unsheathe his zanpaktou.

"I told you to be quiet and let me handle this." Ichigo smirked as he rushed at the hollow and took it out with one strike. Rukia smiled, he was back. Now he just had to keep his word and get stronger.

_**~Hueco Mundo~**_

Ulquiorra walked with Yami through the halls of Hueco Mundo, they had to report back to Aizen about their findings in Karakura Town. As they entered Aizen's throne room, an assembly of other Arrancar and Espada were waiting for them.

"Welcome back Ulquiorra and Yami. " Aizen greeted as he sat calmingly on his throne, "Let's hear your report from the real world. Your twenty brothers and sisters as well as I have been waiting."

"Yes, Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra replied as he bowed to him, "We found Kurosaki Ichigo and Yami engaged in battle with him. During the battle, I watched him closely and as you expected his abilities do have potential, but lack strength and focus. Yami nearly killed him because of this."

"Nearly?" Aizen commented as he motioned for him to continue

"He was interrupted by another Shinigami, one I have no information about. They appeared through a wall of fire that I believed they created to separate us from Ichigo." Ulquiorra stated

"What did the Shinigami look like?" Aizen asked

"They had long silver hair, tall about 5'10 or so, the uniform was different from the other Shinigami I have seen. It was still black, but was sleeveless, a white strap draped over the shoulder, the kimono was cut in various places to show off black undergarments and fishnet material, their hands were covered by black fishnet gloves and their zanpaktou was a double headed scythe." He replied

"It was a woman, wasn't it." Aizen stated more than asked, Ulquiorra noticed the amused expression growing on his face

"Yes, Aizen-same, it was young woman. " Ulquiorra said

"Did she give you the name of her zanpaktou?" Aizen asked

"Izanami." He replied, "The woman used, "Izanami" to slice through Yami's steel skin."

"A woman?" Ulquiorra turned to find one of his fellow Espada sitting down listening carefully to his report to Aizen, "I would have killed that punk and the bitch with one attack."

"Grimmjow." Ulquiorra sighed

"It doesn't matter what excuse you use Ully, if the word _kill_ appears in your orders, then it's obvious that you're suppose to kill the bastard." Grimmjow continued, "And unlike Yami, I wouldn't have got my ass kicked by a woman."

"Grimmjow, you bastard." Yami groaned

"Ulquiorra was correct in his actions—the woman he and Yami encountered is Soul Society's Beautiful Slaughterer. Her zanpaktou is the Goddess of Death, who shares a hatred for men with its owner. As you can see, Yami's arm is proof of its destructive abilities. Most blades would not be able to slice through his steel skin so easily, but hers has no difficultly doing so. If Ulquiorra did not decide to leave, I believe Yami would be missing more than his arm." Aizen interrupted

"Are you actually saying she could kill a fuckin' Espada?" Grimmjow asked in disbelief

Aizen slightly laughed, "I am merely saying, don't underestimate her. I assume Soul Society is using her as a body guard for Ichigo because of her abilities and expendability."

"You make it sound like they give a fuck about her. What she do, piss on them?" Grimmjow smirked

"She attempted to kill her Taichou." Aizen stated as everyone looked at him oddly, "Her life was spared by the request of her Taichou but she was confined for her crimes for the past five thousand years."

"Sounds like my kind of woman." Grimmjow commented

Aizen ignored his comment and continued, "The situation had slightly changed—no one is to make any further attempt on Kurosaki Ichigo's life."

"So you're just going to let the bitch and the punk stay alive?" Yami asked annoyed, he particularly wanted the woman for what she did to his arm.

"I actually agree with armless, they both should die." Grimmjow stated

"I prefer to watch how the situation unfolds—it's been a long time since I watched the Beautiful slaughterer. So as I said, **no** one is to take **any **actions against Kurosaki Ichigo." Aizen persisted, Yami groaned at his decision. Grimmjow, however seem deep in his own thoughts—he didn't care much for what Aizen had to say. Besides, he said leave Kurosaki Ichigo alone, he didn't say anything about the so called Beautiful Slaughterer.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The next morning, Ichigo awoke with a start as he was having a dream about Hoshiko. He couldn't remember the last time that he had a dream about a girl, but this one would be stuck in his head the rest of the day. Dropping back down on his bed, Ichigo recalled the dream to mind and sighed as he felt himself enjoying the image too much. It wasn't unusual for a guy his age to have those types of dreams, but all these thoughts of Hoshiko were starting to get to him. He just met her yesterday, why was he dreaming about her? After the first day of her arrival he found himself being drawn to her, he could only imagine what the rest of the year was going to be like.

After dragging himself out of bed, Ichigo finally got ready for school and made it out his house. The walk to school seemed to calm him until thoughts of Hoshiko plagued his mind again, he tried to think of something else. But somehow everything reminded him of her. As the wind hit his face, he thought of her hair getting caught in the wind and flying around her gentle face. _"Okay Ichigo, stop acting like a little bitch! The way the wind caught her hair? God this girl is making me into a pansy."_ Ichigo thought as he forced any thoughts of Hoshiko out of his head.

"Well you look constipated. What's the matter Ichigo, not enough fiber?" Ichigo turned to find Renji walking up next to him.

"What the hell do you want Renji?" he asked slightly annoyed at his comment

"Well I saw you deep in thought and figured you couldn't be having an intelligent debate with yourself, so I figured that you were constipated." Renji smirked

"Kiss my ass Renji. I'm not in the mood." Ichigo stated shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Thinking about the new girl?" Renji asked, Ichigo's eyes widened, _how did he know?_

"Why the hell would you say that?" Ichigo asked in return

"Well she's in my "English" class and from what I can see,she's a pretty little thing—any guy with eyes and balls can see that. And half the guys in your school are already going crazy for her so I thought the same of you." Renji replied

"Really? I think you're over your head—you're a Shirigami not a teenage boy Renji. Shouldn't you be finding your way down Matsumoto's breast or something?" Ichigo smirked

"Careful "substitute" you're not exactly normal yourself. So don't get over your head." Renji snapped back

"Whatever, I'm going to be late for math. So go kick rocks or whatever you do around this time." Ichigo commented as he entered the entrance of the school. Walking towards his locker, Renji's words still lingered in his head. He was right; he wasn't a normal teenage boy. So how did he expect to get involved with a normal teenage girl? Once again Ichigo found himself sighing, he really did like Hoshiko, but maybe it was better that he did so at a distance. If he got too attached to her, things would get complicated and she wouldn't understand. Taking his math book out of his locker and slamming the door, he turned to find one of the senior guys harassing a girl a few lockers down. As he got closer, he realized that the girl was Hoshiko. She was trying to move past the guy but he was very persistent.

"Why don't you let me, take you out to lunch today; we can eat it in my car. Or we could just "talk" in my car." _Was this guy serious?_ Ichigo thought as he neared them and approached the guy from behind

"I'm sorry but I need to get to class and I'm not interested in having lunch with you." Hoshiko replied trying to push past him, but he placed his hand on the locker to block her way

"You can't be serious? I know your new here, so let me tell you who I am. If you want to fit in good around here, it would be in your best interest to stick with me. I get girls like you popular within days. So don't get all high and mighty just cause your new here."

"Hey! She's not interest, so gather your balls and get lost." Ichigo's voice sounded the hall as he was right behind him now. The guy turned around and looked at Ichigo like he was crazy.

"This concern you Kurosaki?!" he asked annoyed

"Keep bothering her and it will." Ichigo replied, the guy locked eyes with Ichigo and dropped his hand from the locker, letting Hoshiko pas through.

"Whatever loser." The guy stated as he walked away, Hoshiko smiled at Ichigo

"Airgato Ichigo-kun." she said

"No problem, sorry the guys around here don't know how to act when there's a hot girl around……" Ichigo stopped as he realized what he said and Hoshiko blushed. They both looked around and tried to act cool. Then Hoshiko yelped as she noticed the time.

"I'm going to be late for Math!" she cried

"Math 230 with Larrieu Sensei?" Ichigo asked

"Hai!" Hoshiko smiled

"I'm in that class to." Ichigo stated, "I'll walk with you, if he asks why you're late, I'll explain what happened."

"Airgato Ichigo-kun." she replied as they walked to math class. It felt good walking with Hoshiko to class, almost like they were……but the comforting feeling ended as they reached the door. Ichigo held it open for her and couldn't help but noticed how nice she smelled. The scent of wild berries attacked his senses.

"Welcome to my class Miss Kurgari . And Airgato Ichigo for showing her the way."

"No problem Larrieu Sensei." Ichigo commented as he took his seat and Hoshiko took an empty seat across the room. He actually felt weird not having her next to him. Perhaps next class he would find a seat closer to her and just kick the current person out of it. _What the hell am I talking about? I'm doing the complete opposite of staying away from her! I'm not supposed to find ways around her, I'm supposed to find ways away from her. _Ichigo thought to himself. Thankfully class continued and Sensei placed a few problems on the board.

"Okay class, first question goes up in the air for anyone. But soon each of you will answer a question. Now, first question, two poles, 60 feet tall and 20 feet tall, stand on opposite sides of a field. The poles are 80 feet apart. Support cables are placed from the top of one pole to the bottom of the opposite pole. How far above the ground is the intersection of the cables? What if the poles were 120 feet apart?" Sensei asked, the class was stumped and Ichigo's head started to hurt. The man was speaking a different language. Ichigo hated math and he couldn't understand how sensei got excited about it, "Any takers? Come on work the problem out and someone get me an answer."

"Intersection is 15 feet above the ground. Even if 120 feet apart it would still be 15 feet." Hoshiko answered

"Correct!! Well you all should be ashamed of yourselves—the new student gets the problem right in moments and you guys look like your still lingering on the words." Sensei commented. "But here is a chance to redeem yourselves. Next question will be a board question." As the Sensei went to the board to write out the problem, everyone panicked, it was going to be a probability and statistics question. Ichigo slouched down in his seat, this was not going to be a good day. After a few moments the problem was on the board and Ichigo's headache returned with decimals.

The board read the probability of getting a flat tire when driving from Flatbush to Manyberries is 0.284. What is the probability of having a flat tire on exactly 8 of 24 trips between these Nevada locations? Round your answer to 3 decimal places

"Who is up for the challenge?" Sensei asked, but no one was raising their hands or even moving for that matter, it was like they were statues, "Do I have to pick someone?" Still no one moved. "Well, who should I pick?" And so the torture began. Every student feared the board, and hoped they wouldn't be picked. The Sensei walked around the class choosing his prey wisely. "Hoko!"

"Yes Sensei!" the student jumped

"No chewing in class."

"Sorry Sensei." the student feared they were picked, but was relieved to know he just called him out for gum chewing. Moving back to the front of the class, Ichigo felt the Sensei behind him and soon felt his hand on his shoulder.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, perhaps you would like to take the challenge. Come on, it's really easy."

"You know me Sensei, I just like to watch you explain the problems with such intelligence." Ichigo stated

"I know I am good. But…ANSWER THE PROBLEM!" Ichigo jumped out of his seat and went to the board. Picking up the chalk he looked at the problem closely then after a few moments began to answer it. Surprisingly he understood it. Or at least he thought he did until sensei groaned, "You have the right formula, but the workout is still a little rough.

"That's cause I hate math." Ichigo stated

"Hate math!?" Sensei grabbed his chest and felt as if he was hit by a spear, "Blasphemy!"

"May I try?" Hoshiko raised her hand. Ichigo was happy that she did, at any moment Sensei would probably bite his head off for his comment about math.

"Yes please do Hoshiko." Sensei replied as she stood up and walked to the board, Ichigo smiled and handed her the chalk.

"Good luck." He smiled and took his seat. Hoshiko looked at the problem for a moment and then began to work, or in Sensei's mind she began to perform for a masterpiece.

"I made X be the number of trips where you get a flat tire. X has the binomial distribution with n = 24 trials and success probability p = 0.284 ." Hoshiko explained as she wrote on the board, "In general, if X has the binomial distribution with n trials and a success probability of p then P[X = x] = n!/(x!(n-x)!) * p^x * (1-p)^(n-x) for values of x = 0, 1, 2, ..., n P[X = x] = 0 for any other value of x."

Sensei eyes started to water as she continued, "The probability mass function is derived by looking at the number of combination of x objects chosen from n objects and then a total of x success and n - x failures. Or, to be more accurate, the binomial is the sum of n independent and identically distributed Bernoulli trials. X ~ Binomial( n , p ) the mean of the binomial distribution is n * p = 6.816 the variance of the binomial distribution is n * p * (1 - p) = 4.880256 the standard deviation is the square root of the variance = √ ( n * p * (1 - p)) = 2.20913. Can someone hand me a calculator please?" Sensei gave her his calculator as she started punching in numbers.

"To double check my answers, I'll break the problem down like this, the Probability Mass Function, f(X) = P(X = x) is," P( X = 0 ) = 0.0003295433372088947, P( X = 1 ) = 0.00313710528829026, P( X = 2 ) = 0.01430975680384917, P( X = 3 ) = 0.041623538412686, P( X = 4 ) = 0.08667694940407095, P( X = 5 ) = 0.1375209700042244, P( X = 6 ) = 0.1727335088786767, P( X = 7 ) = 0.1761799076990812, P( X = 8 ) = 0.1484980087938484 ≈ 0.148 this would be the solution, P( X = 9 ) = 0.10471367969572434, P( X = 10 ) = 0.0623017144558359, P( X = 11 ) = 0.031451449552616, P( X = 12 ) = 0.01351475229844720……And this should confirm the answer is correct.." the class as well as sensei were speechless. She was a math genius; none of the students had ever done that before. Sensei stood up from his desk and wiped a tear away.

"Yes, that is correct Miss Kurani. Thank you, you may take your seat." Hoshiko smiled and made her way back to her seat. Sensei was so happy that he turned and admired her work for a few moments. Long enough for the bell to ring and everyone was happy that she gave Sensei something to do until class ended. Walking out the class Ichigo watched Hoshiko go down the hall to her next class. It was really starting to irk him how fast he was growing a crush on her. _Was this even normal? You meet a girl one day and you're thinking about her constantly the next day? _Ichigo shook his head and made his way to Science class. Suddenly Keigo came up to him and nudged him in the arm.

"Dude, you have to stop being a pansy and talk to her. She's hot and word has it a couple of the guys have noticed too. Trust me she doesn't have a boyfriend, I heard from a few reliable sources that she left her old academy boyfriendless and thankfully girlfriendless. Even though that would be hot…..umm what was I saying?" Keigo was now lost in thoughts of Hoshiko and another hot girl.

Ichigo sighed, "You were saying you're an idiot and about to get out my way. I'm not trying to talk to her like that. I don't even know her."

"Then GET to KNOW her! You're not even trying to get to know her—saying hi and the occasional smile are getting you nowhere. Trust me man, whatever it is that's stopping you from talking to her, you need to put it aside and start being normal, let your hormones make your decisions for once." Keigo commented

"If they did I'd probably be swooning over girls like you and that's not my style." Ichigo said

"What style? Dude you've never had a girlfriend to my knowledge, you don't hit on girls, your friends with Rukia and Orihime and you've never even hooked up with them and to make matters worse you have an opportunity to talk to the new girl before all the other guys here and you won't even take it. Seriously, I'm starting to question you Ichigo." Keigo replied, Ichigo decided not to even comment. Keigo would never understand his "responsibilities", but maybe he was kind of right, he really did need to "talk" to girls, especially Hoshiko. But how could he, he couldn't just jump into talking to her, he wouldn't even know what to say.

"I gotta get to class." Ichigo said, "Thanks for the talk, Keigo."

"No problem." Keigo replied, "But if you don't see yourself working out with her, you mind if I tried?" Ichigo didn't even respond, he just walked to science class and focused on getting through the rest of his classes.

The day went by pretty quickly, Ichigo for the most part had his head in the books, but he occasionally thought about what Keigo said. He could try and talk to her, what harm would that do. If anything, she might be a good friend to have, especially those days when he just wanted to talk to someone that didn't have a zanpaktou or was related to Soul Society in some way. As he was placing his books in his locker and getting ready to walk home, he saw Hoshiko two lockers down doing the same. He watched as she was packing her backpack, a book slipped and fell at her feet. Just as she was bending down to pick it up, he was already rising up to hand it to her.

"Airgato Ichigo-kun. I can be clumsy sometimes." Hoshiko smiled

"It's no problem, it happens." Ichigo replied, suddenly a guy came up to them and smiled at Hoshiko,

"Hey Hoshiko, you need a ride home?" the guy asked

"No, I'm fine. Airgato, but I'll walk." She replied

"Suit yourself." He said before leaving

"That's the third offer today, I even lied and told one guy that I lived twenty miles away and he said he would carry me there." Hoshiko commented as Ichigo laughed

"Which way are you headed tho?" Ichigo asked, he didn't want to seem like the other guys, but it didn't hurt to make small talk

"Toward L street, why?" she asked in return, Ichigo placed his hands in his pockets and smiled at her,

"I can walk with you home, if you would like of course." He replied, Hoshiko looked shocked but happily smiled back at him,

"I would be thrilled Ichigo-kun. But, is that out of your way?"

"No! It's not far from my house, besides your still new around here; I don't mind helping you around." Ichigo stated

"Airgato." Soon they headed outside and began their journey towards Hoshiko's home. As they were walking, Ichigo contemplated what to say and how to start a conversation with her. He was pretty content with just walking with her but he wanted to get to know her.

"How do you like the school so far?" he asked, _"That was lame."_ He thought to himself

"Well it's different than what I'm used to—I 'm not used to this type of attention. But I like that everyone is so friendly." She replied

"Or a bunch of horny bastards." Ichigo mumbled, Hoshiko laughed as she heard him.

"It's really not that bad, in fact it has many upsides." Hoshiko added glancing at him. _Was she referring to me? _Ichigo asked himself, _No, she was probably being n ice._

"Upsides like what?" he asked curious as to what could possibly be so great at his school.

"Well, new friends, nice people and a chance to start something new." Hoshiko replied

"I guess you're right." Ichigo commented

"Well you have nice friends? I've met Orihime, Chad, Renji and Rukia in some of my other classes. And they appear to be good people."

"Some of them are while others are just idiots." Ichigo replied

"But you love them even when they are." She pointed out

"Yeah you're right—we've been through a lot together." Ichigo sighed

"You see." Hoshiko smiled, "Well this is my house." Ichigo stopped and looked at the small exterior. It reminded him of Orihime's place, "Airgato, Ichigo-kun, I really appreciate this."

"No problem, I enjoyed walking and talking with you." Ichigo replied

"Me too, perhaps we can do it again." She commented hoping he would agree

"Yeah, definitely." Ichigo was so thrilled at the idea that the words slipped through his mouth before he knew it

"Goodnight Ichigo-kun, see you tomorrow." Hoshiko stated

"Goodnight Hoshiko." Ichigo replied as she entered her home and closed the door. He then sighed and began to walk home. As he was walking he realized that he needed to find a better way to talk to her; talk to her like a guy does to a girl that he likes, not just as a friend. But he didn't know how. Talking to Rukia was easy; she was like one of the guys. But Hoshiko was so different and if he wanted to have anything with her, he had to get to know her better and let her know him.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Two weeks had passed and Ichigo was happier than usual—it was because it was the middle of the week and today he had most of him classes with Hoshiko. And for a bonus, it had been seven days with him not having to deal with Hollows. Not that he was complaining, it was just nice to be a normal teenage boy every now and then. He still practiced with Rukia, but for the most part he had free time on his hands, which gave him more time to try and get to know Hoshiko. During the last few days, they became friends and talked a lot. It seemed almost natural the way they connected. As Ichigo was walking into his math class, Sensei was handing back the results of the last practice exam. Before Ichigo could sit down, the Sensei slapped a big D- in front of his face. _This must be karma. For once I thought this would be a good day. _Ichigo thought.

"Mr. Kurosaki I suggested you find a tutor for this class. Please see me after class." Sensei stated as Ichigo groaned. He took his seat and looked over his paper. He was so busy looking at all the red marks, that he didn't notice Hoshiko leaning in close to him.

"What's wrong?" she whispered, Ichigo looked up and glanced at her. She had her hair up in a high ponytail with strands of hair coming out at the sides of her face. Ichigo showed her the paper,

"I got a D. It's cool, I hate math anyway." He replied

"Math isn't that bad." Hoshiko commented

"What did you get? You seem happy. " Ichigo asked, she showed him her paper and he smiled, A+. "Is there anything that you can't do?" Hoshiko laughed. Soon she returned to her seat and class started. After an hour, class was boring usual, but time went by as Sensei would occasionally cry over the low marks on the previous exam. Luckily mentions of Hoshiko and others high scores would brighten up his mood. When the bell rang, everyone began to exit the classroom. Sensei stopped Ichigo and scolded him about his results.

"I feel you need help outside my classroom Mr. Kurosaki. This is why I have assigned Kurani Hoshiko as a tutor for you—I suggest consulting with her about time availability. There is a week and a half before the real exam. So please get a better understanding of the material before then."

"Hai, Sensei. Airgato!" Ichigo replied leaving the classroom. To the Sensei's surprise, Ichigo was happy that he was going to be tutored. As Ichigo walked out the room, he was shocked to see Hoshiko waiting for him. She smiled and waved at him.

"Hello, Ichigo-Kun! I guess Sensei told you I'm your tutor. Are you mad about it? I only accepted because I didn't mind helping you." Hoshiko greeted

"Of course not—I'm very happy that you're my tutor." Ichigo replied as she smiled

"Great! What days and time are you available?" she asked

"My schedule is umm pretty much _flexible. _But the choice is yours, tutor." He replied

"Well I'm free Monday through Friday after school, but how about Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So that it will be days that we have math. That way if you didn't understand something in class, I can help you with it that same day." She stated

"Sounds great to me." Ichigo commented

"Awesome, how about we have a lesson tonight? If you're not busy that is." Hoshiko asked

"Sure that sounds like a plan." Ichigo smiled then he realized he would have to run home during lunch and clean up, plus get everything ready and by that he had to get rid of his nosy father and sisters before they made him look like a fool.

Lunch was before gym class—Ichigo had 45minutes to run home and get things ready. As soon as the bell rang, Ichigo was gone. He sprinted home and found his dad making lunch.

"Oi, Ichigo! What's up? Why are you home so early? Trying to get a drop on your old man?" his father asked

"Can it. After school today I have a tutor coming. I need you and the terrors out the house." Ichigo replied

"Tutor huh?" his father asked while Ichigo was preparing to do a quick clean up, he was sweeping and trying to clean the furniture at the same time, "This tutor wouldn't happen to be a girl would they?" Ichigo stopped his actions,

"She is a friend, she's good in Math so she is going to help me improve my grade." he replied

"Friend? What's this "friend's" name?"

"Kurani Hoshiko." Ichigo was now mopping the floors and pushing his father to the side.

"Well if it's a friend, you should have them over for dinner. Besides you should know the rules, you can't be home alone with a young lady. So you two will study after dinner." his father commented

"When did this rule take effect?" Ichigo asked

"Since you seem to like this young lady more than a friend." his father replied

"You've left me alone with Rukia hundreds of times. How is this different?" Ichigo wanted to know why he and Hoshiko couldn't be alone when Rukia lived in his bedroom closet.

"You never cleaned for Rukia." Ichigo groaned at his father's comment but finished his cleaning. When the house was up to his likings, he looked at his watch and quickly put everything away. He had 10minutes before gym.

"Order dinner, I don't want your food to kill Hoshiko. And could you try to act normal." Ichigo sighed as he ran out the house and headed back towards school.

"I am normal." his father yelled back

As Ichigo was heading back to school, he couldn't help but think about what his father said. He was right; he never cleaned or tried to impress Rukia or any girl that came to his house for that matter. Maybe he was going overboard; after all they were just going to study. Ichigo scolded himself for thinking too much into the lesson. He neared the entrance of the school, just as he reached for the door, a hand grabbed his shirt and pulled him back. Ichigo turned to find Rukia dragging him behind the school.

"What the hell is your problem?" Ichigo asked as she let him go

"I could ask you the same question. You've been acting weird for the past few weeks. You haven't been yourself Ichigo." Rukia replied

"There is nothing wrong; I've just been enjoying being trouble free for the last few weeks. You should too."

"I don't want you to get comfortable, Aizen's Arrancar are still out there." she commented

"I know and I am focused. But I can't ignore my other responsibilities when I'm not a Shirigami. So at the moment school is my duty." Ichigo replied

"Fine Ichigo. But keep your eyes open." Rukia said

"Gotcha." he paused, "And by the way, Hoshiko is tutoring me later; my dad invited her for dinner. So just relax and act normal around her."

"I always act normal." Rukia protested slightly annoyed by his comment.

"Sure, look I'm late for gym. I'll catch up with you later." Ichigo ran towards the gym, luckily gym was slow and roll call didn't happen yet. Ichigo slipped into the locker room and quickly changed. Soon he headed for the benches; taking a quick breath he groaned as Keigo bounced over to him.

"Yo Ichigo! Have you made your decision about my party yet?" Keigo asked

"I always said no, this time won't be different. Your parties normally end up with people drunk and hooked up." Ichigo replied

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Keigo stated. Soon gym was starting and the girls came out of the locker room. Ichigo spotted Hoshiko; she smiled and waved at him. He did the same and Keigo was blowing kisses at her. Ichigo hit him in the face and watched as he fell to his knees.

"Ow dude! I know she's your girlfriend and all but you don't have to act like a jealous jerk." Keigo groaned

"She's not my girlfriend." Ichigo defended, not really sure he believed his own words. It was true that Hoshiko was not his girl, but that didn't mean he didn't want her to be.

Gym class was pretty quick today, coach was going easy on them; just a few laps and walking around the gym. When the class was over, Ichigo changed and waited for Hoshiko. After about fifteen minutes, she came out freshly showered. He could smell her before she even got close to him. Pears and barriers engulfed his senses. Her hair flew behind her as she walked towards him. He was so busy looking at her that he didn't notice her talking to him.

"Ichigo?"Are you alright?" Hoshiko asked

He shook his head smiled at her, "Yeah! I'm fine. Sorry I dazed out for a second. Hey my dad found out about our lesson today and invited you for dinner. You don't have to if you don't want to." Ichigo replied

"I would be honored to eat with your family." she replied

"Great, we can go if you're ready." he stated

"Hai." Ichigo lead her out of the gym and took her books from her. He wasn't sure when he started carrying her books, but he just felt inclined to do so. The walk was pretty quiet; they would talk about the rest of their classes and funny moments that happened in class, but nothing serious. When they arrived at his house, Ichigo could only hope for the best. Hopefully the terrors, his dad and Rukia would make the night easy and no one would embarrass him. But maybe he was hoping for too much.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Ichigo's father had ordered dinner and made it look as if he had prepared it himself. The terrors were behaving and not asking Hoshiko a million questions and Rukia was silent for once. Ichigo thought the night was going pretty well—no one embarrassed him and Hoshiko seemed to be enjoying herself. He thought the lesson would end well, but to his dismay it was too good to be true.

"Hoshiko-chan is really pretty." Yuzu commented

"That's why Ichigo wants us to be really nice to her." Karin smirked

"Airgato, but I think Ichigo is being nice because his dad raised him to be a gentleman." Hoshiko replied

"Yup that's my boy; I raised him to treat women right." His father said proudly, "But Hoshiko-chan tell us about yourself."

"Well, I'm originally from Hirakawa, Japan, my parents moved here because my father's job transferred him here." Hoshiko replied

"Don't you miss your friends?" Yuzu asked

"I do, but we still talk and try to make plans to see each other. But I've met a lot of new friends, like your brother."

"Cool, I wanna be friends with you too." Yuzu said, "We can go out together, cook food and eat it together. Ohh and play…"

"Enough. Hoshiko is too old to play with you." Karin interrupted

"I don't mind. I'm not that old." Hoshiko smiled, "I noticed scraps and scars on your knees and forearms, you wouldn't happen to play sports?"

"Yeah I play soccer. But why do you ask?" Karin asked in return

"I have my own share of scars." She said gesturing towards her elbows and forearms, "I play soccer a lot with my dad."

"Sweet! Want to play sometime? Are you any good?" Karin asked excited

"Hoshiko is busy with school and follow your own advice, she is too old to play with you." Ichigo stated

"You're a jerk Ichigo; you just want to play with her by yourself." Ichigo turned deep shades of red. Suddenly he jumped up from his seat and grabbed Hoshiko's hand.

"Time to study before it gets too late." He grabbed her book bag and headed for the stairs.

"Airgato for dinner." Hoshiko called out down the stairs

"Keep the door open son." His father yelled, just then they heard Ichigo's door slam. Ichigo leaned against it and sighed. Hoshiko laughed at him.

"I'm sorry about my family. They don't know how to act around new people. They treated Rukia the same when she first came to the house.

"It's fine, I like your family," Hoshiko smiled, she started to look around his room and take everything in. He kept his room clean, but you could still smell his musky male scent in the room.

"Sorry if you think it's a mess." Ichigo said while placing her book bag next to his desk.

"No it's great. It feels comfortable and very clean for a guy." She replied

"Airgato." He smiled, "So what do you want to start with first?"

"_We should start by ripping her shirt off."_ Ichigo panicked as he heard his inner hollow speak to him. Of all the times, why did he have to bother him now? _"Come on you know your thinking the same thing." _"Shut up!" Ichigo thought as he attempted to ignore his inner hollow.

"Are you okay Ichigo-kun?" Hoshiko asked as she sat on his bed. Shaking his head, he turned to look at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied

"Good. Lets start with going over our last quiz." She stated as she pulled out her math notebook and gestured for Ichigo to do the same. Soon they were engrossed in math and Hoshiko was determined for Ichigo to understand where he went wrong on the quiz.

"Like this?" Ichigo asked breaking down the problem. Hoshiko watched him carefully and smiled her approval.

"Hai! You did it, that is exactly how it's done." Ichigo was happy he was understanding the lesson, he was even happier that Hoshiko would hug him every time he got a problem right.

"Finally, I thought I would never get this stuff. Airgato Hoshiko." he stated, Hoshiko blushed, Ichigo noticed it and started to wonder, _was she blushing because of me?_

"You're welcome Ichigo. I'm just happy that you understand the material." Hoshiko replied

"Hey Hoshiko am I keeping you from doing your homework?" Ichigo asked

"No. I just have to study for an English test." She replied

"How are we take a break from Math, you can study and I'll do my science homework." he suggested

"Sounds good to me." They proceeded to do other homework assignments and Ichigo found himself having a hard time doing science with Hoshiko so close to him. He would glance at her as she studied; her scent was consuming his room and made him wonder how he would sleep tonight. It was intoxicating and she looked way too tempting sitting there on his bed. _"You could take the book away from her and replace the hard cover with something harder." _"Shut up you pervert!" Ichigo thought.

"How is science going?" Hoshiko suddenly asked

"Almost done. How's English?" Ichigo asked in return

"Not too bad." She said closing her textbook, "Hey Ichigo, have you heard about Keigo's party on Friday?"

"Yeah, he throw them every now and then and always asks me to come." He sighed

"Ohh…well are you going?" Hoshiko sounded excited, Ichigo wondered why before he would tell her no.

"You sound excited about it." Ichigo commented

"Well, I have never been to a party here and I think that it would be a good way for me to make more friends. So I told Keigo I would go and I was wondering if you were too." She replied. Ichigo's eyes widened, damn Keigo. His ass was toast when Ichigo saw him. He wasn't planning on going to the party but he didn't want her to go by herself and be the lamb for the wolves.

"Yeah, I'll be going too." Ichigo said

"Awesome." Hoshiko blushed, "I mean that's great."

"I can meet up with you and show you to Keigo's house, if you like?"

"Sure. You can meet me by my house." She replied

"Great." Ichigo said. Hoshiko looked at her watch and sighed

"It's getting late, I should head home."

"I'll walk you." Ichigo commented

"Are you sure? I mean it's late and you have to walk back alone." she said

"I don't mind." he helped her pack her books and they exited his room. Hoshiko said her goodbyes to Ichigo's family and Rukia. Ichigo carried her backpack while they walked to her house.

"I really appreciate you helping me Hoshiko." Ichigo said as they walked down the street

"No problem." Hoshiko smiled, "Hey Ichigo, do you…."

"Yeah?" he gestured for her to continue

"Well, do you like having me as… a friend?" she asked

"Of course I do. You're really cool and fun to be around."Ichigo replied

"Ohh, like one of your male friends?" Ichigo paused before he answered, she sounded almost sad to ask him the question, "Well, you're not a guy, but I definitely think of you as a really good friend." Hoshiko slightly smiled, perhaps it wasn't the answer she was looking for, but at the moment it would have to do. They reached her front door and she took her backpack from Ichigo.

"Airgato for walking me home, see you tomorrow at school." Hoshiko smiled

"No problem." Ichigo smiled as he scratched his head, "Goodnight Hoshiko."

"Goodnight." Ichigo watched as she entered her home and then he turned to walk back to his own home. He wasn't sure why Hoshiko asked those random questions, but he was curious about it. He truly did think of her as a best friend, but he also thought of her as something more. Yet he couldn't tell her that. Ichigo wanted to tell her that he liked her, but he feared her reaction. He was happy just being around her, and if he told her how he felt, he feared rejection would change that. So for now being friends was good enough for him.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Friday morning Keigo was ecstatic when Ichigo told him that he was coming to the party tonight. He figured that all Ichigo needed was a little motivation to come and Hoshiko was that motivation. Ichigo however kept his word and knocked Keigo out before History class for inviting Hoshiko to such a party. As Ichigo walked into the classroom, he found Hoshiko playing with her fingers and looking deep in thought. He took a seat in the back of her and tapped her shoulder.

"Something wrong? You look like you're planning world domination." Ichigo teased as she giggled

"No, I'm just a little nervous that's all." Hoshiko replied

"Nervous about what?" Ichigo asked just as the bell rang and Sensei started class. Hoshiko turn back around in her seat to face the front. A few minutes into class Ichigo found a note placed on his desk. It was from Hoshiko. Opening it he read the contents and laughed to himself. In the note she asked him how she should dress for the party? He wrote back that she should be herself and dress comfortably. Secretly placing the note on her desk, he watched as she read his reply and started to write another message. Soon the note was back on his desk and he read that she was nervous about the whole thing. She wanted to fit in and not make a fool out of herself, but she feared she would. Ichigo tried to write something that would ease her worries, he thought about suggesting maybe they shouldn't go to the party, but he figured it might really be a good way for Hoshiko to socialize with more people. So instead he wrote she shouldn't be nervous and he would be there with her. And if the party made her uncomfortable they could leave whenever she liked. Handing her the note Ichigo smiled as she looked over her shoulder and mouthed, "Airgato." They finally paid attention to what Sensei was saying and made notes on today's lesson. After about an hour, the bell rang and all the students made their way out of class. Ichigo and Hoshiko walked out of class together but soon separated to their next class. Ichigo headed to science and sighed as Rukia was waiting for him.

"Yo," he greeted as she leaned against the wall

"When we're you planning on telling me about the party tonight?" Rukia asked

"Since when do you party?" Ichigo asked in return

"Once again I could ask you the same question, Ichigo, have you forgotten what your "duties" are? I mean I'm not saying don't have fun. But something is wrong; there hasn't been any "problems" lately. "she replied

"Didn't we have this conversation already? When a problem comes up, trust I'm ready for it. So at the moment let's just enjoy it while it lasts." Ichigo said

"Fine Ichigo, just don't let your guard down. The least you could do is practice with Renji and I later." Rukia suggested

"We can start this weekend; I told Hoshiko I would attend the party with her tonight." He replied, "Now I have to go to class and so should you." Ichigo entered his science class and couldn't help but start to think about what Rukia said. She was right there was a lack of hollows and trouble in town lately. Something was going on, but at the moment until that something was in front of him and caused him to make a move, he would enjoy just being Ichigo Kurosaki the normal teenage boy.

After school Ichigo agreed that he and Hoshiko would go their separate ways and get ready for the party. Once Ichigo was home he showered and made sure he smelled good, which wasn't something out of the normal but he made sure he smelled _very_ good tonight. His hair was washed and body smelled like AXE body wash. Once he was done, he exited the shower and started to rummage through his closet; he was looking for something to wear, he didn't normally go to parties so he didn't have many _party_ clothes. Deciding on a pair of washed out blue jeans, a black t-shirt, gray hoodie, and black boots he set everything out on his bed and then got dressed. When he was done, he checked his hair and rolled up his hoodie sleeves. Grabbing his keys and wallet, he made his way downstairs. Rukia was waiting impatiently at the bottom; Ichigo had told her she was not allowed in the room while he was getting ready.

"The room's all yours, sorry for the wait." Ichigo stated, Rukia huffed at him and made her way to the room. He guessed she was annoyed that he wasn't taking her along with him. But he couldn't keep an eye on Hoshiko and Rukia at the same time. Just as Ichigo put his hand on the door knob, his dad was waiting in the living room.

"Be respectful son, she's a nice girl." He commented

"I know that. I'll be back around nine." Ichigo said before leaving his house. About twenty minutes later Ichigo approached Hoshiko's door and slowly knocked. He checked his appearance in the reflection of a nearby window. Within a few moments the door opened and Ichigo's mouth dropped. Hoshiko was on the other side of the door wearing a black hoodie with cat ears, a coral knit dress, black leggings and a pair of tan boots. With her hair was up in a high ponytail, she looked adorable in Ichigo's opinion, but she still had an undeniable sexiness to her. He couldn't help but stare at her.

"I look stupid don't I?" Hoshiko groaned as she put her head down in shame. She searched her closet frantically to find something to wear, but since Ichigo said she should be herself and make sure she was comfortable. This is what she decided on.

"NO! Of course not! I think you look great. There's nothing wrong with your outfit." Ichigo replied

"Not too girly? Or silly?" she asked

"Well on me, yes. But for you it looks really nice." He replied as she blushed

"You look really nice too Ichigo." She commented

"Airgato." He smiled, "Ready to go?"

"Hai." She said walking out and closing the door behind her

"Shouldn't we say bye to your parents?" Ichigo asked

"No, they're out for dinner tonight." Hoshiko replied

"Oh okay." He said as they headed to Keigo's house. After about thirty minutes of walking, Ichigo and Hoshiko arrived at Keigo's house. Music could be heard from the outside, Ichigo wasn't sure how big of a party Keigo was having, but it couldn't be that many people, after all it was Keigo. Ichigo banged on the front door and waited to see if someone would answer. He waited a few moments and just as he was about to bang again, the door flew open and Keigo was happily on the other side. He had a couple of lipstick smudges around his cheek and neck. Ichigo was right, it was just a make out party.

"Welcome lovers," Keigo greeted, "Come on in. The party is just starting." He opened the door wider and let them walk in, "The party is in the basement." Keigo lead the way and soon Hoshiko and Ichigo were surrounded by numerous teens dancing, laughing, kissing, or making drinks at the snack table.

"Are you serious? This is a PG-13 orgy." Ichigo groaned

"Well as the night continues the rating may go up." Keigo smiled, "Help yourself to whatever you like. I'm off to find the owner of these lips." He gestured to the lipstick on his neck before he headed back on the dance floor. Ichigo sighed, he should have said no. But as he looked at Hoshiko, she seemed intrigued and happy to be there. He would put his worries aside and make sure she enjoyed herself. Hoshiko started dancing a little and Ichigo smiled, she really was adorable. Just as he was caught up in his thoughts, some guy put his hand on Hoshiko's lower back.

"Hey cutie, seen you around school. I'm glad you came here tonight, wanna have a little of my drink and dance with me for a bit?" the guy asked

"Sorry but I don't want to right now." Hoshiko replied

"You sure? Just a sip." The guy persisted, just as he was putting the drink to her lips, Ichigo grabbed Hoshiko's hand and pulled her back. Now he was in front of the guy and narrowed his eyes at him,

"She said no thanks, find another girl." Ichigo said

"Sorry Kurosaki, forgot she was yours." They guy walked off and left Ichigo and Hoshiko in an awkward situation.

"Am I…yours? What did he mean by that?" Hoshiko asked

"Of course not, you belong to yourself. I mean, he was just being a smartass. Sorry to just butt in like that but some guys don't know how to take a no." he replied, moments later he realized that he was still holding her hand. They both blushed and Ichigo quickly removed his hand, "Sorry."

"I don't mind." Hoshiko smiled

"Umm, hey lets find something to drink that hasn't been spiked." Ichigo said. Soon the two were having a good time by themselves; they were laughing and watching as others danced oddly and stumbled around the room. Ichigo was beginning to think that the party wasn't so bad; he and Hoshiko were having fun and no one was bothering them. But as luck would have it, Keigo was starting a stupid game around the room. Soon everyone was making a circle in the middle of the room. Hoshiko took Ichigo's hand and dragged him over to see what the game was about.

"I figured the best way to utilize a party in the basement is to use it properly. The first game will take place in the closet—Seven minutes of good ole heaven." Ichigo's eyes widened as Keigo picked up a soda bottle and placed it in the middle of the circle, "We'll do this spin the bottle style; you spin the bottle and the person it lands on is the person you go in the closet with." Ichigo's mind was racing, what the hell was wrong with Keigo? This game could only cause trouble, he didn't want to go in a closet with some girl at the party and he sure as hell didn't want Hoshiko to end up in the closet with some guy. The game started and already two teens happily raced into the closet, Keigo was the door man for the game. He kept track of the seven minutes and made sure no one tried to back out. As five minutes passed, the next person spun the bottle. Ichigo was nervous as Hoshiko was next to spin. He wanted to drag her out of the party as thoughts of same guy trying to kiss her and feel up her passed his mind. Time was moving too fast as already Hoshiko stood up and spun the bottle. Most of the guys watched the bottle like wolves watched a lamb. Hoshiko was fresh meat and many thought she needed to be broken in. Ichigo was holding his breath as the bottle slowed down and landed on,

"Ichigo!" a guy groaned

"Lucky bastard."

"I call a do over." Hoshiko ignored the comments as she smiled at Ichigo. Keigo walked over and grabbed Ichigo by his arm, pulling him and Hoshiko toward the closet.

"Come on kiddies, closet times." Keigo stated as he pushed them inside and started to slowly count them down. Ichigo sighed, everything happened so fast. He was so busy being afraid that Hoshiko would end up in the closet with another guy that he never thought about what would happen if he ended up in the closet with her.

"Ichigo," Hoshiko took him out of his thoughts

"Yeah." He said

"What exactly do we do in here? I was happy to spin the bottle but I'm not really sure what happens in here." She asked

"Well it's called seven minutes in heaven because two people go into a closet for seven minutes and make out or whatever." Ichigo replied

"Are we suppose to make out?" Hoshiko asked

"No! We don't have to do anything." He stated abruptly, "I mean, it's just a game. We can just talk or stay quiet and wait till the time is up. Or I could threaten Keigo to…" Ichigo stopped his babbling as she tip toed up to him and placed a light kiss in his lips. Ichigo was caught off guard, the idea of Hoshiko kissing him was far from his mind. But she did. After a few moments Hoshiko moved away and smiled nervously at him.

"Gomenasi, Ichigo. I didn't mean to offend you, it's just that…." It was Hoshiko's turn to be caught off guard; Ichigo placed his hands on either side of her face and leaned down to her. Pressing his lips against hers, he began to kiss her passionately. A kiss that he had been holding in for too long. Soon Hoshiko was responding and kissing him back. Ichigo lost track of time, he was so indulged in the moment that nothing else mattered. Even as Keigo was about to open the door, all Ichigo did was lock it from the inside,

"Ichigo we should let the others in." Hoshiko commented through parted lips. Ichigo knew she was right, but the feeling of Hoshiko's lips against his was something that he craved for so long. Yet, he knew that everyone outside was going to question them as if they didn't already know what was going on. Slowly Ichigo pulled away from her and sighed, he let his teenaged hormones get the better of him. He was suppose to be level headed and not act like a normal teenage boy. Not knowing what to say to her, he just unlocked the door and wasn't surprised to find Keigo and a few others waiting for them. Ichigo walked out followed by a blushing Hoshiko.

"Should I ask?" Keigo teased, "Hey guys the door is unstuck. Be careful with it, it gets locked easily." Ichigo looked at him a little surprised, "Don't worry man, what happens in the closet stays in the closet. But I want details later."

"Thanks man." Ichigo said, looking at the time, he decided it would be best for him to take Hoshiko home before anything else happened, "Thanks for the party Keigo, try not to get into too much trouble."

"Same to you friend." Keigo replied. Ichigo and Hoshiko made their way back upstairs and left Keigo's house. It was very awkward walking down the street, neither of them knew what to say. Hoshiko felt bad because she kissed him first and Ichigo blamed himself for turning a simple peck into something more. Time went by until Hoshiko couldn't take it anymore.

"Gomensi Ichigo." She said

"What are you sorry about?" Ichigo asked as they stopped walking

"I shouldn't have kissed you, I just felt like it was something….that…..well," Hoshiko stumbled for words as she couldn't look at him

"Hoshiko, don't say sorry for something I did. I feel bad about taking your small gesture and making it into so much more," he commented, as he gently touched her chin and made her look at him, "But I'm not sorry for you kissing me. I really like you, I try to just be friends with you, but I think the closer I get to you the more I realize I can't just be your friend. I think the closet proves me right." Letting go of her chin, he nervously shoved his hands in his pockets and waited for her to say something. He feared she would rethink what happened and say it was just a friendly kiss. Perhaps this is why he never dated; the fear of rejection was more intimidating than Kenpachi looking for him. Slowly Hoshiko was taking in everything he said.

"I really like you too Ichigo. You shouldn't be sorry for liking someone. " She finally said, Ichigo felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He wanted to kiss her again, but wasn't sure if he should. After all, Hoshiko was the first girl he actually pursued. More questions popped in his head, but he decided he would ask her another day. After a few moments they both started walking again and soon found themselves outside of Hoshiko's house.

"Airgato for walking me home Ichigo." Hoshiko said, "I'll see you….soon?"

"Definitely, goodnight Hoshiko." Ichigo replied

"Goodnight, Ichigo." She turned to open her door, but suddenly Ichigo leaned his head down and brushed his lips against hers, slipping his hands around her waist to pull her closer. The kiss lasted for a few minutes until Ichigo pulled away and smiled at her, "Gomenasi….."

"Don't say sorry." Hoshiko smiled kissing him on the cheek and saying another goodbye. Ichigo watched as she entered her house, he was feeling so many emotions at the same time. There was so much he still wanted to ask Hoshiko, but at the moment he was happy just knowing she liked him too.


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: I want to thank those who have been reading my story and leaving reviews. Personally I just like writing, if you don't want to review that's fine. Just knowing someone is reading my story is good enough for me. This story particularly has been in my head since last summer and I really wanted to write it. Anyway here his chapter seven, sorry it took a while, I'm getting ready for finals.::sigh::.

**Chapter Seven**

Ichigo laid in his bed thinking about last night's events. He smiled to himself as he thought about kissing Hoshiko. Everything happened so fast but he was happy that it did. Without the closet game he would probably still be wondering if she liked him or not. It felt great to know that she felt the same way that he did. Now he wondered if he should ask her to be his girlfriend or would it be too fast? It wasn't like he had a girlfriend before, so he didn't know if he should ask her or just let things happen on their own. He wanted to call her his girlfriend, but he wondered if she wanted him as a boyfriend? Would he even make a good boyfriend? What if something happened and he had to leave for Soul Society again. He couldn't tell her he was a Shinigami, but him missing so much would make her concerned all the time. Too many questions were running through his head. He didn't even notice when his father had walked into his bedroom and sat at his desk.

"Oi, what's wrong boy? You look like there is a lot on your mind. Something happen at the party last night?" Isshin asked

"I kissed Hoshiko...."Ichigo replied

"Did she kiss you back?" His dad asked

"Yeah, she did. I told her I liked her and she admitted she likes me too. Now I don't know what to do. I really like her, I thought about asking her to be my girlfriend, but I don't know if I should. I've never been a boyfriend to anyone. What If I can't be a good boyfriend to her? What if she doesn't want to be my girlfriend?" Ichigo sighed

"Son, you're over thing this. You like her, she likes you. You're a teenager, this stuff happens. Frankly I was beginning to worry about you. Your seventeen and besides Rukia being here, Hoshiko is the first girl that I see you have a strong attraction to. If you ask me I think you should continue doing exactly what you've been doing, being yourself and a good friend to her. If it's meant to be things will happen on their own, don't over think it, you'll miss out on what really matters, being around each other." Isshin commented

"I guess you're right." Ichigo knew his father had a point, but he didn't know Ichigo was a Shinigami, so his answer was based on what he knew about his son just being a normal teen. Sitting up in his bed, Ichigo looked at the time.

"Hey by the way, today I'm having a little get together for the patients at the pool. I'm taking your sisters with me and figured you would like to invite Hoshiko."

"Sure, I'll see what she's doing today." His dad stood up and left his room. Soon Ichigo located his cell phone in the pocket of his hoodie, flipping it open he searched for Hoshiko but stopped before he pressed send. He didn't know how to talk to her after last night. So instead he sent her a text message. After a few moments she text him back saying she would love to come and would try to be there around two. Ichigo smiled and started to get ready for the day. Pulling out a pair of black swim trunks with white graffiti he placed it on his bed, along with a pool towel and black flip-flops. Heading for the shower, his mind betrayed his as his hollow spoke to him. _"Sweet, we get to see that pretty little thing in a swim suit. Should have told her suits are optional." _

"Shut up!" Ichigo replied. He was annoyed by his hollow but needed to get ready so the annoying bastard would have to wait. After about fifteen minutes Ichigo emerged from the shower with a towel around his waist. (A/N: Sighs at the thought, sorry just had to add that ^_^) He slicked his wet hair back and noticed that he cell phone was blinking. Hoshiko sent him a text letting him know that her dad needed help putting some stuff away and would be running a little late. Ichigo proceeded to get ready; soon he was dressed and headed downstairs. On his way he grabbed his hoodie and cell phone. Both his sisters were in their bathing suits and ready to go to the pool.

"Nii-san, is it true Hoshiko-chan is coming too?" Yuzu asked

"Yes, she'll be here in a little." Ichigo replied

"Okay kiddies, to the pool. You can help out until Hoshiko gets here Ichigo." Isshin said as Ichigo nodded. Pretty soon Ichigo found himself helping a few kids in the shallow end of the pool. Today was mostly a fun day for the rehab patients. Both Ichigo's sisters were splashing around while his dad was helping patients exercise in the pool. Half an hour had passed and Ichigo started to wonder where Hoshiko was. Did she change her mind and decide not to come? Maybe he was too forward asking her to come to the pool. He groaned as more questions filled his head. Suddenly he heard his sister call out Hoshiko's name and turned to find her walking towards the pool. He smiled and swam over to her. Climbing out of the pool, he flipped his hair back and smiled at her. She was wearing dark denim shorts, a big blue t-shirt, and white flip-flops. Her hair was in two messy pigtails.

"Hey Ichigo, sorry I'm late. My dad decided to make me his servant before he left for work." Hoshiko smiled

"No problem, glad you came." There was that awkward silence between them again. Ichigo didn't know what to say. Personally he wanted to kiss her again, but he knew that would be a bad idea, "Hey want to go for a swim?"

"Umm, I think…I'll just watch at the side for now. Plus I still have to change." she replied

"Okay." Ichigo replied as Hoshiko walked back to the locker rooms to change and place her bag in a locker. Ichigo waited for her to come out and was thinking about what to do when she did. Deep in thought, he didn't see Rukia coming up next to him. She was dressed in a black bikini top and grey board shorts. Realizing that Ichigo hadn't noticed her presence she pushed him into the pool. Ichigo gasped as he quickly emerged to the surface and looked for the person who pushed him. Rukia crossed her arms and looked annoyed at him.

"What's your problem today and don't say I could ask you the same thing." Ichigo stated

"You should have noticed me. What if I was an enemy?" Rukia replied, "You should be practicing with Renji and I, but I find you here."

"The way you pushed me, you might as well have been my enemy. Look, I'm just having fun around the pool. You should try it, you might like it." He said

"I'm watching you Ichigo." She commented before she left to play with Ichigo's sisters. Ichigo sighed as he rubbed his eyes. Just as he was swimming to the end of the pool, he saw Hoshiko exit the locker room area. His breath caught as he looked her over, she was wearing a white bikini top and matching hipster bottom. She looked amazing, Ichigo had to close his eyes and focus on something else. But his eyes still drifted back to Hoshiko's curves, her body was what every teenage boy dreamed of. As if to prove his point, he noticed a few guys whistling at her. Quickly Ichigo climbed out of the pool and made his way towards her. She smiled at him nervously,

"Should I change?" she asked wrapping her arms around herself. Ichigo pleaded with his eyes as they powerlessly focused on the obvious cleavage that the motion created. Hoshiko may not have been well endowed like Orihime, but she was far from flat. _"Looks like she's ripe for the pickings," _His hollow stated, "shut up," Ichigo thought, "Don't bother me right now. Stay out of my head." _"Speaking of heads, your other head seems to think the same way I do." _ Ichigo's eyes widened as his body was betraying him.

"Ichigo I think I'll go put my other clothes back on."

"No. I mean there is nothing wrong with your bathing suit. You look amazing." Ichigo replied

"Thank you Ichigo. You look good too." Hoshiko blushed. Suddenly some kids were running passed them and bumped Hoshiko, she seemed scared and quickly grabbed onto Ichigo's waist. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her. Her head nestled on his wet chest.

"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked looking down at her. She nodded and released him slowly. He followed her actions and watched her carefully.

"Sorry, I just didn't expect that." Hoshiko said

"It's fine. Hey want to take a lap around the pool?" he asked

"Umm, I think I'll sit down for a second." She replied and walked over to a long beach chair to sit down in. Ichigo scratched his head but made his way over to her and sat down in front of her. She looked nervous, he realized. Moving closer to her he saw her hands shaking. He reached out and placed them into his own hands.

"Hoshiko, are you afraid of the water?" Ichigo asked, her eyes widened as she put her head down in shame. Ichigo freed one of his hands and gently lifted her chin to look at him.

"I'm not afraid of water, I just can't….swim." she replied

"That's nothing to be ashamed of. If you were uncomfortable being here you didn't have to force yourself to come." He said

"But, I wanted to see you again." Ichigo felt a fluttering sensation in his stomach. _She wanted to be again me_, he thought.

"How about we try this… I'll teach you how to swim." Hoshiko looked at him as if he was crazy, he found her expression humorous and laughed, "I'm serious, I can teach you how to swim. I taught my sisters and if I can teach Yuzu anything, then I know I can teach you."

"Umm, I guess….sure, you can teach me." Ichigo smiled and stood up. Taking her hands he went towards the pool and turn to find Hoshiko nervous at the steps into the shallow end of the pool. He made his way towards her and took her hands into his. Slowly Hoshiko eased herself into the water. She figured as long as her feet could touch bottom, she was okay. Pulling her out further, the water was soon leveled with her hips. This was when she started to panic. Stopping abruptly, she stood still and refused to let Ichigo take her any further.

"I can't." Hoshiko stated

"Do you trust me?" Ichigo asked as she looked at him, he looked down at her and held her hands tightly. She nodded uncertainly, "Hoshiko I'm would never let anything happen to you. Just trust me and don't be scared."

"I trust you Ichigo." She replied as he smiled

"Alright then, the first thing I want you to do is come out a little further; further enough for my hips to be submerged under water." She tensed up, but did as he said, soon her chest was under water and she was clutching Ichigo's hands, "Now relax, I'm going to let you lay across my arms and while you pretend to be superman. Hoshiko nodded nervously and let go of his hands as he extended them just under the surface of the water, "Now stretch yourself and lay down in my arms." As she stretched herself out, Ichigo realized how close his arms were to her chest and stomach. He forced the ideas now forming in his head far back and didn't give his inner hollow a chance to speak.

"Like this?" Hoshiko asked

"Yeah, exactly like that. Now keep your legs straight and point your toes and just move your legs up and down." Ichigo replied as she started moving her legs, "Keep your legs straight as possible. Don't get nervous. Now, kick faster." After a few minutes of helping her get the just of moving, Ichigo helped her back to her feet and moved in front of her, "Now here comes the fun part. I want you to take my hands and use my arms as a guide to pull you forward while doing exactly what I just taught you." Still trusting Ichigo, she let him lead her further into the pool with her kicking aggressively against the water. Ichigo was proud of her, she was learning quickly. Soon he moved on to teaching her how to use her arms with her legs. He demonstrated to her by swimming around her. Despite her fears, she let the water push against her as she did the breast stroke. Once she had that down, it was time to get her breathing right. While practicing with her, she coughed a few times and felt it was hopeless. The fear of drowning now stuck in her head. Ichigo eased her worries by showing her breathing tricks he learned from his mom. Soon she had it down and wasn't afraid to put her head underwater. It took the whole afternoon, but Hoshiko learned how to swim and now Ichigo was floating out to the deeper end with her. She wasn't perfect, but she could manage and if there was a problem Ichigo would save her. He took a few laps with her and was surprised when she passed him a few times. Hours passed they were still playing around in the pool. Many of the people left and the only ones left were already packing up to leave. Ichigo swam to the edge and climbed out slightly so he could sit at the edge. Hoshiko did the same and sat next to him as her feet dangled in the water. Ichigo's dad walked over to them and smiled,

"You two are going to turn into prunes if you stay in the water any longer." He teased

"Thanks for the advice dad." Ichigo sighed

"I'm headed in with your sisters. Close up when you're done and be sure to walk Hoshiko home since its nighttime." Isshin said

"Sure thing dad."

"Nice seeing you again Hoshiko." Isshin commented

"Thanks for inviting me Mr. Kurosaki." Hoshiko smiled. Ichigo's father left and teasingly turned out two of the over head lights so that the lights from the pool engulfed them. Ichigo sighed; his dad was setting them up. But he ignored it as Hoshiko kicked her feet around the water. He watched their reflection as neither of them spoke. They both were content with just being close to each other. But, soon Ichigo's mind was racing again; he wanted to talk to her about last night. He figured his dad was right, if they both admitted they liked each other, then what was holding them back? _"Hey Ichigo, I found your balls. Do want them back or should I put them on hold while you grow a dick."_ Do you ever shut the hell up? Don't answer that; just leave me alone, Ichigo thought. _"Just trying to help." _Ichigo held his head high as he spoke,

"I meant what I said last night. I really do like you Hoshiko. And I would like for us to be more than friends." Ichigo confessed, he turned to look at her and was surprised to see her blushing. When she noticed him looking at her she tried to cover her burning face with her hands, but Ichigo pulled them away.

"You're blushing," he said

"I am not," she groaned

"Yes you are." he laughed, the tips of his fingers brushing lightly against her exposed cheek, "Hoshiko do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"Yes," she answered too quickly, "I mean well, I…." Hoshiko stumbled

"It's okay….I want to be your boyfriend, if that's okay with you." Ichigo stated

"Yes, I would like that." she replied, Ichigo smiled.

"So we're boyfriend and girlfriend now." he commented

"Yeah, we are." Hoshiko smiled happily.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Two weeks had passed since Ichigo and Hoshiko became an official couple. Now once again, Ichigo found himself lying in his bed deep in thought over the current events of his life. But, for once he wasn't frustrated, he was actually happy with all that happened in the last few days. Hoshiko was his girlfriend….girlfriend; even Ichigo still had a hard time admitting to himself that he had a girlfriend. She was the same girl he was trying to avoid but somehow couldn't even if his life depended on it. The more he tried to just be friends, the more he realized that he couldn't. Sure now he had the responsibility of being a good boyfriend, but could it really be harder than being a Shinigami?

Hoshiko and Ichigo agreed to take things slow—Ichigo had never had a girlfriend and she wasn't great in understanding relationships. Ichigo figured the best thing to do was continue being her friend, who just so happens to like kissing her a lot. He made sure to do things he thought a boyfriend should do—like carry her books, open doors for her, walk her home, make sure she was happy all the time if possible, listen to her and be there when she needed him.

Ichigo already told his dad that they were dating, Rukia and the terrors knew as well. He just didn't tell anyone else at first, but as people caught them holding hands and occasionally kissing around school, it didn't take long for them to realize the two were an item. Keigo particularly was happy and sad at the matter. He was happy Ichigo found his balls and pursued Hoshiko, but was also sad because now she was off the market. Many of the guys at school felt the same, except they couldn't understand why Hoshiko would want to be with Kurosaki Ichigo. To them he was the odd ball out, but they didn't see what she saw in him. Ichigo was sincere and kind hearted, he valued everything he had and now Hoshiko was a part of that.

The first weekend as boyfriend and girlfriend, Ichigo suggested they go on a real date—Keigo's party was just a get together and the pool activity was just for fun. He thought it would be nice to have a real date that consisted of just the two of them. Hoshiko was happy at the thought and they decided to go to the park and enjoy a nice sunny day of eating, talking and playing catch. Ichigo figured he would plan something "friend like" but still keep it romantic. After they finished eating from their bento boxes that Yuzu helped him prepare, he and Hoshiko cuddled in front of a pond. Hoshiko thought the idea was sweet and Ichigo was happy he made her smile. But soon his ideal first date went down the drain along with the rain that began to fail. Quickly they wrapped up everything and ran in search of cover. Standing in front of a bakery, Ichigo held her tightly as he suspected she was cold. But soon he found himself trapped in her beautiful grey eyes. She actually looked happy—to her it was just water, she didn't mind if her hair got or her clothes were drenched, all that mattered was that she was with him. Even with her bangs stuck to her wet face, Ichigo still thought she was beautiful. There was something so pure and natural about her, that she seemed unreal at times. Holding her closely, he brushed her hair away and leaned down to kiss her. Soon the two were so caught up in the moment that neither of them noticed the rain was slowing down. Pressing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss, Ichigo's hand ran through her wet hair and gently held her still as he explored her mouth. Hoshiko's fingers pressed against his chest, but soon crept up to the back of his neck, holding onto him as well. He took the lead, deepening the kiss between them, her lips parted, granting him the access he desired. His tongue twitched against hers, brushing against her curiously. She took the time then to explore his mouth, soon the two were battling for dominance as neither of them were satisfied with the gentle kiss Ichigo had started. His thumb rubbed against her face as the kiss deepened and she started to moan a little into his mouth. Hoshiko's hand found his shirt and started to press against his stomach, running her fingers over his stomach, she swore she hear him groan at the sensation her fingers were causing. Ichigo was lost in a wave of teenage hormones; he was starting to love the feel of her lips against his, it was a feeling that he never experienced before. It was intense—his heart was racing, his blood was pumping and making his body want more of her. Just as Ichigo was placing his hands on her hips, Hoshiko pulled away and caught her breath. Watching her pant, he felt a desire to pull her back, but she expressed a need to freshen up and catch her breath. While she headed to the bathroom, Ichigo suddenly felt his cell phone ringing. It was Rukia; she explained there was a Hollow not too far from him. He hated to walk off from Hoshiko, but he figured if he moved quick enough she wouldn't notice. To cover his _disappearing_ act, he went over to a nearby tree and set up the blanket so he could leave his body _resting_. As he released his soul, he wasted no time in heading to the location of the Hollow. Within moments he arrived to find Rukia looking over the place with no hollow in sight. He figured she had done it herself, but quickly found out that she had arrived moments before him and the Hollow had been already exterminated. She was deep in thought trying to figure out what was going on. There was definitely a Hollow on her radar, but it was completely gone. Just as she was caught up in her thoughts, Ichigo decided to head back and see what was going on with Hoshiko. Annoyed, Rukia only watched him disappear from the scene. When Ichigo arrived, he found his body still lying down on the blanket, but Hoshiko had her head rest on his chest. It was weird watching her like this when he wasn't in his body, but it was also refreshing. As Ichigo reentered his body, he wondered how many times he would have to do something like this. This time he was safe, but next time she might nudge him and be under the impression that he was unconscious or dead. Those thoughts soon faded as she snuggled up close to him. It was like whatever worries he had when he was with Hoshiko didn't matter anymore. Ichigo was aware that being a boyfriend and Shinigami was going to be a task, but for her he was willing to handle it. After about an hour of relaxing and watching the sunset, Ichigo decided to walk Hoshiko home. Kissing her goodnight, he made his way to his own home. Before he could even put on his pajamas, Rukia jumped out of the closet and looked like she wanted to rip his head off. She angrily explained her thoughts on him flaking out about the Hollow; she felt he wasn't taking it seriously. The Hollow around the park wasn't the first Hollow on her radar that mysteriously disappeared. Something was wrong, something or someone was killing the Hollows, which to some would be a good thing, but the fact that she didn't know what was the cause of it still irked her. Falling back on his bed Ichigo sighed, now that he thought about it, it was weird that he hadn't dealt with a Hollow in weeks. It had to be too good to be true, he knew something was wrong and now he had a bad feeling about it.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Monday marked another week of school for Ichigo. It wasn't that bad, the day went pretty well—his math sensei explained that since Hoshiko started tutoring him, his grades were improving dramatically. For the first time Sensei actually said he looked forward to grading the next upcoming test, which was something he usually dreaded. Classes flew by easily and after school Hoshiko came by and continued to tutor Ichigo and prepare him for the test. Tutoring was going well as usual, Ichigo was pretty much answering the questions by himself and just needed guidance on a question of two. An hour passed as Hoshiko seemed tired and decided to lie on Ichigo's bed while he practiced more problems. When he was done, he turned around from his desk and found her fast asleep—she looked especially beautiful to him with her features relaxed in slumber. Ichigo smiled and stood up from his desk, he made his way over to the bed and reached to pull a blanket over her. Just as he tucked her in, she sleepily opened her eyes and looked at him. Their eyes locked for a few moments before she smiled at him and spoke,

"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you. I've just been a little tired lately."

"It's fine, I don't mind. Take a nap, I'll work on my science homework while you sleep then I'll walk you home." Ichigo replied leaning in to kiss her cheek. Just as his lips touched her face, she slightly turned and grazed his lips with her own. Ichigo was caught off guard by the movement, but soon moved in closer and slowly pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. His hand moved into her hair, holding her head gently in his hand. Her fingers intertwined with the sheets as Ichigo deepened the kiss between them, his tongue snaking out to brush against her bottom lip. Upon instinct, her lips parted. Her tongue twitched against his, brushing against him curiously, almost afraid if she acted, he would pull away. To her surprise, he didn't pull away, he started returning the brushes and encouraged her to do more. Just as she continued to explore his mouth, she suddenly stopped and her breath caught. Ichigo thought he did something wrong by her actions—she looked like she was suffocating, her eyes widened and her grip on the sheets tightened,

"Hoshiko! What's—"suddenly a powerful reiatsu rushed over him, it was the same reiastu like before, Arrancars. Soon Rukia busted through the door and held her cell phone tightly. She felt the Arrancar also,

"Ichigo,…Renji called he needs our help. It's an emergency." She lied as she looked at Hoshiko. Ichigo stood up and quickly figured out something to say to Hoshiko.

"Hohsiko, I need to—"

"It's okay, I'll just grab my things and head home and it's late anyway. I hope everything is okay with Renji." She jumped off the bed and packed her backpack. Quickly she kissed Ichigo good night and left his room.

"We need to go, now!" Rukia commented as she released her soul from her gigai and headed for the window. Ichigo quickly did the same and left his body on the bed before he followed her. As they were running, Rukia found the location of the reiatsu, "There is more than one of them and Renji and the others are already in battle.

"Which way are we headed?" Ichigo asked

"We're bond to find one if we keep going this direction." She replied. Ichigo continued to follow her, but he suddenly stopped when he saw Chad engaged with an Arrancar. Ichigo ran towards them and interrupted the fight just in time to save Chad from a fatal blow. But just as the Arrancar removed his hand from Chad's chest, blood started to seep through his shirt. Ichigo told him to go home, this wasn't his fight. Despite his protests, Chad did as his friend said and left them to fight. Ichigo withdrew his Zanpaktou, but Rukia raised her hand to stop him.

"I'll deal with him."

_**~Rooftop not far from Ichigo and Rukia's location~ **_

She watched intently as Rukia fought with the Arrancar—she knew Renji and the others were fighting as well, but her agenda was to make sure Ichigo was safe. She would have engaged with the Arrancar herself, but her orders were simple, protect Kurosaki Ichigo at all coasts but never allow him to be aware of her presence. That plan had been working out well—she had been keeping the town Hollow free for weeks and each time Ichigo arrived after the work was done. But this time, she was too slow to get to the action. She should have reacted faster and already disposed of the Arrancar. For the moment all she could do was watch Rukia fight with the Arrancar and hope that Ichigo never involved himself. So far her wish was coming true—Rukia released her Zanpaktou and successfully defeated the Arrancar. Just as Rukia went to replace her Zanpaktou, they all stopped as a new spiritual pressure was now weighing down on them. She fell to her knees on the rooftop, while still in her gigai she couldn't resist the pressure. She wondered who it was and prayed it wasn't coming Ichigo's way. Standing up she looked down and saw another Arrancar making his way towards them. All she could see was teal blue hair and a sinister smile. This guy was out for the kill.

Like her, Rukia and Ichigo watched the guy carefully, his reiatsu was ridiculous. Rukia had to hold her balance as he slowly descended from the sky and landed a few feet away from them. She took this as an opportunity to get closer to them. From another roof top she could hear their conversation, but still remained out of sight.

"What the hell, D-Roy's been killed?" the teal haired Arrancar stated sarcastically while looking at Rukia closely. Rukia looked uneasy by the intensity in his eyes. She watched him carefully, she wasn't sure what he was looking for, but she knew Rukia and Ichigo had to find a way around him. He was powerful; she feared he was even more powerful for them to deal with.

"Where is she?" the Arrancar asked, Rukia and Ichigo looked at each other

"She?" Rukia asked, suddenly the Arrancar was in front of her and impaled her stomach with his right hand

"You're not the one I'm looking for." He commented as he looked down at her, "I guess I'll just have to draw her out some more." the Arrancar smiled wickedly as he locked eyes with Ichigo—he was angered by the sight of Rukia impaled on the Arrancar's hand. She gritted her teeth at the sight as well, _that bastard!_ She thought as she looked at Rukia who was coughing up blood. He looked excited while his hand lifted her off the ground. Was he trying to make Ichigo want to fight him? Suddenly, Rukia screamed allowing more blood to escape from the corner of her mouth. The Arrancar smirked at the sight,

"There is nothing more attractive than the sight of a woman bleeding from my hands." He commented, her blood was boiling now; she hated men like him and personally wanted his head. But as long as there wasn't a directed assault on Ichigo, she couldn't get involved. And she needed some kind of cover before she interfered.

"Let her going!" Ichigo suddenly yelled as he aimed his Zanpaktou at the Arrancar. Smiling, the Arrancar threw Rukia to the ground, "Rukia!" Soon Ichigo was running at him, but the Arrancar's reiatsu blew him back. After getting his balance back, Ichigo went in for the attack, but the Arrancar stopped it with just his forearm and tossed Ichigo aside.

"Damnit!" Ichigo cursed as he rolled to his feet and appeared to be planning another way to attack the Arrancar

"Quit yankin' my chain Shinigami. I don't wanna waste my time killing you, I came here for your bitch." The Arrancar said

"What?" Ichigo asked narrowing his eyes at him

"The fuckin' so called Beautiful Slaughterer. I want her to show herself." He replied, her eyes widened at that name. It had been years since someone called her that, it had to be Aizen who gestured to her by that name, only someone who was around before her captivity would know her by that name. Anyone else would never call her that more or less know who she was. But why was he looking for her? What had Aizen said to spark this asshole's interest in her? Why was he only after Ichigo because of her? She figured there would be no way around him; he meant he was going to draw her out one way of another. Ichigo ignored what the Arrancar said and appeared to be moving in for another attack, but slowly he brought his hands together on his Zanpaktou.

"BANKAI!" she should have known better, like Ichigo would actually go down without a fight. A part of her wanted him to run to safety, but another side wanted him to give her a reason to take the Arrancar's head off. However, for the moment all she could do was watch Ichigo reveal his Bankai to the Arrancar as the fight ensued. Ichigo was giving the Arrancar a pretty good fight, he got in a few hits with Getsuga Tenshou, but the Arrancar seemed to be toying with him. He wasn't really fighting him. Soon he turned the tables and became incredibility fast. His hits became harder and Ichigo was being knocked around from streetlamp to streetlamp. While Ichigo was trying to rise to his feet, the Arrancar stalked over to him and grabbed him by the neck.

"I'm gettin' tired of this. Where the hell is the woman! Ya nothin' but a punching bag for me." The Arrancar stated, "Do I have to put holes in you like I did the Shinigami over there for her the get the balls to face me."

"Screw yourself! I don't know what you're talking about, but right now I'm still your problem." Ichigo replied, this caused the Arrancar to laugh. She now had her reason to interfere, but now she needed to find an opening that allowed her to do so without letting Ichigo see her. She gritted her teeth as Ichigo became a punching bag for the damn Arrancar. With a vicious uppercut and left hook, Ichigo was sent flying. But as the Arrancar flashed to the side of him, Ichigo was hit hard in the back and sent back to the ground with a sickening thud. That was it, quickly she released her soul from the gigai and let it remain on the rooftop watching what was about to happen.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Smoke filled the ground as Ichigo was nowhere to be found—the dust covered the whole street. The Arrancar narrowed his eyes as he tried to find the orange haired Shinigami. He wasn't surprised that the boy wasn't much of a fight. If Yami could kick him around, there was no chance he could stand up against him in a real fight. He was a little surprised he lasted as long as he did. But, the goal for coming to the real world wasn't for Kurosaki Ichigo, it was to see if the Beautiful Slaughterer was all that Aizen boosted about. There was no way a woman could stand up to an Espada, especially him. He planned to meet the woman and set her straight. Just as the smoke was clearing, he felt a different reiatsu—this one was darker, fiercer. Soon, a blast of reiatsu circled around the area Ichigo had landed. When the smoke was completely clear, Ichigo was still on the ground, but now a woman was standing in front of him. The Arrancar smiled,

"About damn time—thought I would have to kill the boy to make you come out, woman." He said as he hovered above her. He mindlessly found himself looking her over, he wasn't sure about the slaughterer part, but she sure was beautiful. Personally, Ulquiorra didn't do justice in describing her. Her long silver hair and silver eyes shined in the moonlight, making her look angelic. _Shame she is a Shinigami, _he thought.

"What do you want with me Arrancar," she asked

"Arrancar? Woman, I'm not an Arrancar. Before I take your head back to Aizen, know that I'm an Espada." She narrowed her eyes at him in confusion, "Espadas are the top ten ranking Arrancar, Aizen chose himself based on their strength and abilities. Each has a number, ten to one; one being the strongest and ten just being lucky. You took number ten's arm off. Which is why I'm here, Aizen's making a big deal about you and how your abilities level with us. I think it's a munch of shit, no way can a woman compare to me. Figured I'd prove Aizen wrong and take your head back on your Zanpaktou." He continued

"What number are you?" she asked

"Espada number six, Grimmjow Jaggerjack." He replied, her eyes widened in shock. How hell was she going to fight this guy; her Zanpaktou took damage last time and that was just fighting number ten. At this rate, if she engaged in a fight with him she would have to…..

"Don't space out on me woman. You going to give me a fight or not, or do I have to smack the boy around some more?" Grimmjow asked

"Touch him and I'll cut your hands off." She replied taking her Zanpaktou out of its sheath, Grimmjow laughed at her threat. She couldn't be serious; she still believed she could fight him even after she knew his rank.

"Had enough foreplay yet? Release your Zanpaktou, I want whatever you can hit me with." he stated

"Careful what you ask for," she commented, suddenly she pointed the blade of her Zanpaktou to the ground, "Yomigaeri, Izanami _(Resurrect, Goddess of death)_ Grimmjow watched as her Zanpaktou turned into the double bladed scythe. He smirked before he prepared himself and lunged at her. She readied Izanami and when he was close enough he she swung it at him, but he blocked it and tried to grab her neck, she shunpoed away. And so the fight began, Grimmjow was determined to prove she was just some pretty face with a big toy. He continued with hand to hand combat, each punch and kick were blocked by Izanami. But a few made it past her and were direct hits on her face and abdomen. Grimmjow watched her carefully, _where's the blood? _he thought, what did he have to do to make her bleed? Two hits landed on her face and she should be spitting blood from the hit in her stomach.

"I'm beating you like a piñata woman, where's the blood? I like watching my opponents bleed while I'm bashing their head in." Grimmjow stated

"It's cause you hit like a bitch." She replied

"Some mouth you got on you woman." He smirked at her, soon they were fighting again and she continued to take damage but didn't show any physical signs of it. She shunpoed in the back of him and placed Izanami around his neck—Grimmjow's eyes widened as he flashed away, if he had been a second slower, she would have taken off his head, "Not bad woman." He flash stepped in front of her and grabbed her neck, she gasped she he then slammed her into a building.

"Is this the best you can do, woman?" Grimmjow asked increasing the pressure he had on her neck. He wanted her to submit and cry for help. Who the hell did she think she was trying to fight him? He wanted to see horror flash across her beautiful silver eyes and know that it was he that caused it. He was so caught up in the moment that he didn't notice when the top of Izanami was touching his neck.

"Get your hands off of me!" she glared at him before nearly slicing off his face, Grimmjow had to admit she was one hell of a spitfire. He was almost surprised—he thought because her Zanpaktou was so long, her close range attacks would be weak. But he was wrong; twice she had nearly taken off his head and both times were up close and personal. He lunged at her again and this time he caused her to tumble down a few feet away from him. She got her footing back and narrowed her eyes at him. In her mind she was planning what to do next. She used his cockiness as a moment to come up with an attack that would work. Her abilities were limited just like Renji and the others. But, hers was a little different. Unlike just having a percentage of reiatsu blocked, Soul Society exiled her other abilities and took ninety-one percent of her power just to be careful. At her current state there was no way she could beat Grimmjow without some kind of help.

"Getting tired woman?" Grimmjow asked sarcastically

"Stop calling me woman." she ordered, he laughed and continued to assault her with kicks and punches. With one swift kick he sent her crashing into another building. Using Izanami as a cane, she stood up and prepared to defend herself again. Grimmjow had to give her credit; she sure knew how to take hits. Suddenly, she stopped and listened to another woman's voice.

"Taichou! Renji! We have permission break the restriction!" she recognized the voice as Masumoto. She also noticed that she wasn't included—it figures, why would Soul Society take a risk with her? They probably thought the minute her limiter was released she'd try to kill anything that moved. But, that was far from the truth, right now she needed to protect Ichigo. And like this she couldn't, she hadn't even put a scratch on Grimmjow and now he looked like he was going to attack again. Suddenly her eyes opened at the sound of Masumoto calling her name, Soul society had agreed to release twenty-five percent of her maximum power. She took off the glove on her right hand and stretched her arm out giving Grimmjow a view of her squad symbol that was broken in half.

"Limit release!" she yelled, her reiatsu swarmed around her, Grimmjow could feel a difference in her power level, he watched carefully as the reiatsu turned black. She sliced Izanami in the air, if twenty-five percent is all they would give her she had to make good use of it. Letting Izanami slip down her fingers, she grasped the chain at the end of it.

"What the hell is limit release?" Grimmjow asked

"Soul Society limits Taichous and Fuku-Taichous from using their full power in the real world so they don't cause any unwanted disturbances to the balance. They cut off eighty percent of their maximum, but have granted me twenty-five percent of that right now." She replied

"Why just twenty-five? I want you at a hundred." Grimmjow stated

"At a hundred, I lose control and would be taking your head back to Aizen." She replied, at first Grimmjow laughed, but then he saw something that caused him to widen his eyes. It was a flash, but in the few seconds that it happened he saw her face turn into a skull like mask then turn back to normal.

"What the fuck?" he asked, but she didn't answer, instead she used his moment of confusion to attack him,

"Rest in peace Grimmjow." She commanded as she swung Izanami in the air—it sent a sliver slash of fire straight at Grimmjow's chest. Before it hit him, he heard what sounded like a banshee screaming at him. He raised his arms to block it and was surprised at how it burned him. But what shocked him more was when he felt the burning cut on his chest. _She hurt me…_he thought, no woman has ever hurt him like this and left a mark to prove it.

"Damn you woman! Now I'm going to have to return the favor." Grimmjow cursed as he started to pull out his Zanpaktou, but before he could pull it out any further, Grimmjow felt a hand on his shoulder,

"Sheath your sword Grimmjow."

"Tosen?" she gasped as she watched the former Taicho stand next to Grimmjow

"What the hell are you doing here?" Grimmjow groaned

Tosen replied, "Why you ask? You really don't know? You invaded the real world without permission. You mobilized five Arrancars without authorization and lost all five. These are serious offenses Grimmjow, Aizen-sama is not pleased with your violations. Let's go, your punishment will be decided in Hueco Mundo."

"Hueco Mundo…." She whispered, as she watched them carefully

"Whatever." Grimmjow replied as he slid his Zanpaktou back into its sheath.

"Going back to your master kitten? He got some warm milk waiting for you?" she yelled tauntingly

"Fuck you woman, you lucked out on this fight. You landed one good shot on me, but that won't happen again. And even if you were granted a hundred percent of your maximum power, you wouldn't stand a chance against my released form." Grimmjow commented

"Release form?" she mumbled

"Remember my name woman, Grimmjow Jaggerjack. The next we meet I'll engrave it in your skull for a face." He smirked before he disappeared with Tosen into the black hole. She watched as he left and after a few moments, she slowly she descended to the ground. As her feet touched the broken concrete, she looked over and saw that Ichigo was still unconscious. She knew he was having another inner battle with his hollow. A battle that he was losing, his hollow kept interfering with his fights. Ichigo wasn't helpless, she knew that her role wasn't to protect him from fighting now because he was weak, but because at the moment he was unstable to and needed to get control of himself.

"Oi," she turned to find Renji walking up to her, "Hueco Mundo, huh?"

"You were watching?" she asked

"After my fight, I decided to make sure yours was okay, you were the only one fighting an Espada." he replied

"I didn't win." she said, he could hear the frustration in her voice. It reminded him of the old days, when she would get angry for not being able to release her Zanpaktou or destroy a Hollow. Those were days he missed.

"You're alive, Ichigo's alive. I'd say you won." Renji commented,

"Don't humor me. The Espada will be back, guys like him don't rest until the job is done. I should have killed him; it's the only way to make sure Ichigo is…." Suddenly her Zanpaktou returned to normal and she collapsed. Renji rushed to her side and grabbed her before she hit the ground.

"You took too much damage, you need to be healed?" he said, he looked over the damage done to her. The one good thing about her Zanpaktou was that it allowed her to show no physical injury during battle, but after it was done, all the damage attacked her at once.

"I'm fine, get Ichigo to Orihime first." she stated before coughing up a few spots of blood. Renji grimaced at the sight. Suddenly, Renji heard someone approaching from behind. Slowly Ichigo rose to his feet and used his Zanpaktou to balance him.

"Renji?" Ichigo asked as he staggered over to him, at first he thought Renji was holding Rukia, but noticed that the form was too tall to be her and they had long silver hair flowing around them. When he was standing directly over Renji's kneeled form, he looked at the person held in his hands. They were badly injured—blood escaping from cuts and bruises, moving his eyes further he looked at their face to see a large gash on the corner of their mouth. Despite the silver hair and eyes, Ichigo looked closely at the features. Eyes widening immediately, he gasped out loud,

"Hoshiko!"


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

_**~Hueco Mundo~**_

Grimmjow Jaggerjack groaned as he sat in an Espada meeting—Aizen decided against punishing Grimmjow for his crime if he explained his findings about Kurosaki Ichigo and the Beautiful Slaughterer. He seemed more interested in hearing about the woman and what her abilities were. Personally, Grimmjow could careless; he just wanted the bitch to pay for marking him. He couldn't allow her to think she could stand up to him, he had knock her down and show her why he was king.

"Soul Society has blocked ninety-one percent of maximum power because she is unstable; at least to them she is. Shame all they let her borrow was twenty-five." Ichimaru Gin commented as he smirked at Aizen, "I do miss seeing her in action."

"Next time I'll bring back a photo for you to jack off on," Grimmjow stated annoyed as he drummed his fingers on the table, he couldn't understand what the big deal was. She was just another damn Shinigami that needed to be killed. Sure she was hot, but that had nothing to do with the fact that she was still a Shinigami.

"You should feel appreciative Grimmjow, she marked you and you're alive to show it." Aizen commented

"Yeah, cause most men would have been slaughtered or some shit, well I'm not most men. I could give a fuck less about who she is or what she could do. I'll kill her when I see her again and prove Yami is just a bitch who gets beat up by girls." Grimmjow replied as Yami glared at him, Aizen laughed, he was amused at Grimmjow's confidence.

"Be careful Grimmjow, her Zanpaktou isn't her only weapon. Many have fallen just by her beauty, she is a dangerous woman." Aizen said

"Whatever." Grimmjow groaned leaning back in his seat, he hated all the hype Aizen kept feeding him. He wasn't blind; he got plenty of good looks at her during their fight. She was beautiful, but the only thing on his mind was revenge.

Aizen smirked as he ended the meeting, he watched as Grimmjow was the first to rise from his seat and exit the room. He was interested on the results of Grimmjow's new game; he knew his sixth Espada wouldn't rest until he proved that the Beautiful Slaughterer was just another woman. But, he wasn't aware of the game she was playing; Aizen knew her very well and suspected she was plotting to kill Grimmjow as well. Aizen also figured Grimmjow would bring out her true nature and disturb the balance Soul Society tried so hard to maintain, which was something he thrived to see.

As Grimmjow walked down the halls in direction of his room, he was thinking of how to get the woman to show herself again. He knew she was protecting the boy, but having to knock him around so much was a pain. He just wanted her. Suddenly Grimmjow grinned as a thought crossed his mind, if she's protecting Ichigo; she had to be in his _normal _life somehow. Perhaps just watching Ichigo would reveal who she is and give him another chance to take her head off.

_**~Aizen's Throne Room~**_

Aizen Sousuke sat quietly on his throne; after the meeting ended he decided to review the visuals collected on the Beautiful Slaughterer in private. Resting his chin in his palm, he took notice of her Zanpaktou and how her abilities had changed from the last time he saw her. It had been centuries since he watched her—in the past he enjoyed watching her train and now that he knew her full potential he wanted….

"Reminiscing?" Aizen didn't even flinch at the sound of Gin's voice behind him. He felt the other ex-captain shift to watch the footage with him, "She's still got that niche on her shoulder. I thought a couple centuries in confinement would make her a good little girl, guess there really is no wrath like a woman scorned."

"She has changed; centuries ago I thought I would never see her in uniform again. But, that killer intent is still there and even now it still interests me." Aizen stated

"You sure it's just that that still interests you?" Gin smirked, "So what do you think Soul Society promised her—obviously, she would never work for them unless she got something out of it. I'm thinkin' they offered her freedom from imprisonment or at least a second chance."

"Soul Society could never give her what she wants. What she wants in too valuable to them." Aizen replied

"Think she still wants _his_ head?" Gin laughed

"I know she does—my little slaughterer never stops till she gets what she wants."Aizen paused as a close up of her face was shown, "Perhaps, she's better suited for someone else. Soul Society could never understand someone of her power; they only see her as a threat."

"And you see her as?" Gin asked

"A possibility—after all she is only broken. Perhaps, I can put her back together." Aizen smiled

"Or break her into more pieces." Gin commented

"When was that ever a bad thing?" Aizen mocked him

"Seriously, are you sure you want _her_ here? Her power is different; her power is the top of the food chain when compared to Shinigami and Hollows. Placing her here could be like serving her a full course meal." Gin questioned, like Aizen he was fully aware of her abilities and what they could do in the wrong hands.

"Maybe being here is what she needs, surrounded by the _proper_ influence, she could reach her full potential. All she needs is a helping hand and a reason to come to me." Aizen replied deep in thought. Suddenly images of Orihime flashed on the screen. Gin took notice of his sudden grin,

"We still need to figure out what's up with her as well. Ulquiorra mentioned her powers briefly," Gin commented

"Inoue Orihime……Perhaps a closer look is needed." Aizen agreed, "Summon Ulquiorra." Gin smiled, he could only imagine what Aizen had in mind.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Ichigo sat quietly next to Orihime as she healed Hoshiko's wounds, he was so worried about Hoshiko that he didn't notice Orihime's discomfort sitting next to him. Truth was he hadn't noticed a lot of her lately; he was so caught up with having a girlfriend, Orihime as well as the others were left out. She didn't want to say anything about it of course; the issue would only bring more awkwardness between them. It seemed everyone but Ichigo knew that Orihime liked him a lot. And the fact that he asked a new girl to be his girlfriend made her uncomfortable around him. She was slightly jealous of Hoshiko, in such short time she and Ichigo had bonded on different levels that she had yet to connect with him. And now that she knew Hoshiko was a Shinigami, it was yet another aspect of Ichigo's life that she couldn't relate to.

After everyone regrouped, they went to Orihime's apartment so they could report back to Soul Society about tonight's events. Apparently, Genryūsai Yamamoto wasn't pleased with Hoshiko's fight and he wanted to speak with her immediately after she was healed. Personally, Ichigo wanted to speak with her about everything leading up to tonight, but he figured he would have to wait his turn. Every now and then he would lock eyes with her, but she would turn away as if she couldn't look at him. Too many questions were running through his head, was she mad at him because her cover was blown? Did she plan to keep being a Shinigami a secret from him forever? Was she scared to tell him the truth? Were all her feelings for him fake? Was she a fake girlfriend? Could he really even call her his girlfriend? Ichigo wanted answers, but feared the answers as well. He really did have strong feelings for her; no other girl had made him feel the way she did. He found girls at school attractive, but none of them made him want them like Hoshiko.

"Alright, Hoshiko-chan, I healed most of your wounds," Orihime started in a low tone as she removed her hands from Hoshiko's stomach," It's weird I can't really heal them as well as I would like to. For some reason my powers…"

"It's fine. Airgato Orihime." Hoshiko suddenly interrupted as she slowly stood up from the mat. Trying to balance herself, she gasped as Ichigo reached out and helped her up. The both of them locked eyes, Hoshiko didn't know what to say to Ichigo; just saying sorry for lying wouldn't cut it and she knew he had to be hurt. She knew the feeling of being betrayed all too well and a part of her hated that she had to keep such a big secret from him.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked releasing his hold on her arm and looking away from her, it was his turn to shy away. He had all his questions ready for her a minute ago, but now standing in front of her caused him to be lost for words. He tried to get past the Shinigami uniform and silver hair to find his Hoshiko. That girl couldn't be made up; the Hoshiko he knew had to still be this girl standing in front of him.

"Hoshiko, Genryūsai Yamamoto is ready to speak with you." Hitsugaya Taichou stated walking into the room. She glanced at Ichigo before following the Taichou into the living room. Ichigo and Orihime did the same and joined the others around the giant monitor displaying Genryūsai Yamamoto's quarters. The Genryūsai soon began explaining about Soul Society's findings on the Arrancar—with the data received from Hoshiko's previous fight and tonight's events they were able to measure the possible abilities Arrancar and now the newly found Espada had.

"I understand that Kurani Hoshiko engaged in battle with the sixth Espada as the rest of you dealt Arrancars. This is why each of you were granted permission to release your limiters. I am pleased that each of you defeated the opposing Arrancar, however I am disappointed that while given twenty-five percent of your maximum, you, Kurani Hoshiko, disregarded your orders. As a result you are accountable for the following," Hoshiko groaned, she knew she would never receive praise for fighting an Espada from the old man, that would be asking for too much, "Your orders are simple, Kurosaki Ichigo was never to be aware of your presence as a Shinigami—you are to protect him and not allow him to engage with Arrancar of any degree. Which is why your limiter was broken for this battle. But you depended on your _other_ abilities. You know they are forbidden to be used, you risked everything by allowing this to happen…."

"I'm supposed to protect Ichigo by any means necessary that was my only way of…"

"Silence! You are lucky you still have that Zanpaktou at all. I should have had it destroyed centuries ago Genryūsai Yamamoto interrupted as he slammed his cane down

"Just like me right?" Hoshiko smirked, "Aizen wants Ichigo for himself or he probably wants him dead. He declared war on Soul Society, I think there shouldn't be a limit to the usage of my abilities." Suddenly Masumoto and Renji grabbed her shoulders and made her kneel to the Genryūsai in apology.

"Do not forget Hoshiko, you are still a prisoner to Soul Society; anything you do outside your orders will be held against you." Genryūsai Yamamoto warned

"Enough please! I don't know what Hoshiko has done in her past in Soul Society, but she should be acknowledged for fighting an Espada tonight. An Espada that I couldn't defeat…..She protected me, she did whatever she had to do and has injuries to prove it," Ichigo interrupted

"Ichigo…" Hoshiko whispered

"Personally, I don't want Hoshiko putting herself in danger for me—I should be the one protecting her plus I don't need a babysitter." Ichigo added as Genryūsai Yamamoto took his request into consideration

"This is not for you to decide Kurosaki Ichigo. Later we will have another meeting and discuss your actions and new orders Hoshiko." Soon the monitor went black as the meeting was adjourned. Renji sighed as he let go of Hoshiko's shoulder. Standing up, Hoshiko slapped Masumoto's hand away and glared at her.

"What have I told you about touching me busty!" Hoshiko warned

"Relax Itty-bitty. Next time follow orders and you won't be scolded like a bad dog. You're lucky you didn't kiss the floor." Masumoto replied

"Kiss my ass you walking floatation device." Hoshiko stated

"Listen dog, you and I have never seen eye but," Masumoto leaned in to her ear, "Don't make the mistake and break his heart, there is someone better and more deserving of it." Hoshiko watched as she gestured to Orihime. Closely, she examined the young girl, it was obvious that Orihime liked Ichigo, but that didn't mean Hoshiko didn't feel the same way about him. In fact, Hoshiko was falling for him more than she liked to admit. At first protecting Ichigo was her only agenda, but during their time together, she started having real feelings for him. Despite trying to deny them whenever he kissed her and looked into her eyes, she kept having the same feelings _he_ used to create in her….

"Enough," Hitsugaya ordered, both women suddenly stopped their badgering. Masumoto sighed; she knew her Taichou was angered by her outburst. Hoshiko remained deep in thought, she knew better than anyone what a broken heart felt like; she had one for more than four hundred years. And she would never hurt Ichigo the way _he_ hurt her. Out the corner of her eyes, she could see Ichigo looking at her; he seemed to be examining her like he had never seen her before. Hoshiko wondered what the future held for them now. Honestly, she didn't want what they had to end. She knew it was like having empty dreams, but Ichigo made her feel alive and scared at the same time. So many years she felt like no one loved her and she couldn't be loved for real, but Ichigo made her think he could show her what it was like to be loved and give love without being condemned for it. But, she also feared falling too hard and being hurt again. Hoshiko was so caught up that she didn't even notice Ichigo walking up to her,

"Can we talk?" he asked, he didn't sound sure of himself he sounded like the first time he asked to walk her home.

"Okay," Hoshiko replied. Both of them left Orihime's apartment and ventured for some privacy on her roof. At first it was silent between them, neither knew what to say. Hoshiko stared into the dark skies before she opened her mouth, "I'm sorry," she started, "I know just saying sorry doesn't begin to make up for lying to you like this. I know I should have told you who I really was from the start, but it I…." Hoshiko stopped as suddenly Ichigo grabbed either side of her face and kissed her. It was just like the first time they kissed in Keigo's closet. It lasted for a few more moments and then Ichigo spoke,

"Is this real?" he asked slowly, "My feelings for Kurani Hoshiko, is she even real? I look at you and see a girl who looks so different from the girl I asked to be my girlfriend. But, when I look into your eyes, I see her staring back at me. I don't care what you've done in the past to make Soul Society dislike you, I don't care if you lied to protect me, I just want to know if these feelings I have are real. Or should I just try and forget everything that happened between us?"

Hoshiko didn't know how to reply, Ichigo stilled wanted her even after seeing the real her. But she wondered how he would feel if he knew about all of her. She looked deeply into his eyes, looking for the slightest bit of uncertainty; so many times she had looked liars right in the eyes and heard every pretty word known to man. But, Ichigo was sincere; she couldn't see any deceit in them.

"The girl I really am may not be the girl you need. I wish I could be the girl you want me to be, the one you deserve. There are things you don't know and I doubt you would want to know," Once again Ichigo caught her off and kissed her,

"I already said, I don't care and I know there is a lot to you I don't know, but I'm willing to learn everything about you if you give me the chance. You can tell everything when you're ready." He commented

"I….," Hoshiko sighed, now she wondered if this would be a mistake

"So you'll remain my girlfriend?" Ichigo asked

"Yes," she replied, "But, I'm still your protector as well. I have a duty to honor."

"And I'm your boyfriend, so that means I have duties to uphold too. I don't want you putting yourself in danger for me. I don't care how powerful you are or what abilities you have, I can't stand by and let you fight my battles. I don't care how badly injured I am, I'll always be there to protect you." He commented

"Well as your girlfriend, I think you should let someone be your hero sometimes, we all need to be saved every now and then." Hoshiko smiled, but she was serious. She admired Ichigo's determination but, he needed to understand in his current state his real enemy was himself. She knew what inner demons did to you during a battle and his Hollow was a bigger problem than he realized.

"How about we find a way both be the hero? I protect you like I'm supposed to and when the time comes and you have to protect me…" Ichigo sighed

"Sounds like a plan." She replied, "And in act of this new plan, I'm going to ask you to agree to something you may not like. I want you to allow Shinji to help you." Ichigo's eyes widened, she knew about the Hollow and Shinji?

"I'm not joining the Visoreds." Ichigo stated

"I'm not asking you to. You need help, more help then I or anyone else but them can give you right now. You can't fight with a Hollow getting in your head; they know how to control it. Let them help you." Hoshiko wasn't going to take no for an answer. She would drag Ichigo to Shinji if she had to, "So are we going to make some new friends tomorrow? Or do I have to "make" new friends for you?"

"Alright, I'll go." He replied, not like he had much of a choice. Suddenly, Ichigo groaned and started to cough up a few spots of blood. Hoshiko leaned down and grabbed his waist,

"Ichigo?" she was concerned, all his wounds must not have been healed. She was unconscious for awhile and woke up to find Orihime healing her.

"I guess I should have let Orihime heal me better." Ichigo commented

"You didn't let her finish?" she asked

"I was too busy getting you to her so she could heal you." He replied as she sighed

"You really need to stop being the hero; it's going to cost you your life one day." Hoshiko stated, "Come on, let's get you back so she can finish healing you." She continued and helped Ichigo back down into Orihime's apartment. She was glad everything was okay for the moment; Ichigo accepted her and shared feelings for her. Now she made it her agenda to protect him not because she had to but because she wanted to. And in order to do that, she had to get rid of a problem before it turned into a bigger problem…. Grimmjow Jaggerjack.

A/N: Sorry for the delay, I'm working on updating now since I'm done with school for the rest of the summer (dances around happily). I'll have the next chapters up shortly ^_^


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

The next day Ichigo kept his word—he and Hoshiko were absent from school today, both were in search of the Visoreds. Ichigo occasionally glanced at her as they walked around. He still hadn't adjusted to her as quickly as he wanted too. She looked different now, yesterday she was a happy and jolly teenage girl, today she was a Shinigami who looked like his girlfriend's evil twin. Her usual bright clothes were now dark denim jeans, a grey shirt, a black sweater and black boots. Her long black hair was in a high ponytail. Ichigo found out from Urahara that her Gigai was special; it hid more thing about her than a normal Gigai would. Surprisingly, Ichigo wished she had her natural silver hair instead. It was beautiful, matching her silver eyes, she looked like an angel.

It wasn't difficult to find the Visoreds with Shinji and the rest releasing a vast about of reiastu. Hoshiko was nearly choking from it as they neared an abandoned warehouse.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked

She smiled, "Yeah, I'm fine. I think we found the right place though—this place practically drenched with their reiatsu." Hoshiko and Ichigo watched as the shutters opened and allowed them to walk into the building. Looking around they were in complete darkness until Hoshiko caught a glimmer of someone's blade. Before she could even react, several blades had face down on the ground—any sudden movement would leave her without arms, legs or possibly a head. Ichigo was about to attack, but the sound of Shinji's voice halted him in his steps,

"We're not going to hurt your pretty little girlfriend Ichigo, this is just a precaution. I figured you would come here sooner or later. I just didn't expect you to bring _her_ with you."

"This how you welcome all you guests?" Hoshiko smirked

"Just the ones who are threats." Shinji replied, "I don't have a problem with Ichigo being here, but if you would please Hoshiko." Ichigo watched confused as Shinji released his blade and soon the others followed. Hoshiko stood up and dusted off her clothes.

"Not a problem. I'm just here to deliver a package, I'll take my leave." She started to walk away, but stopped next to Ichigo.

"Hoshiko? Why…."Ichigo was confused my their actions as well as hers

"It's fine. Just play nice with the other Visoreds." She replied. Ichigo watched as she left the building and the shutters closed behind her.

"Sorry about that Ichigo," Shinji commented, "I just can't allow her to stay here."

"That's my girlfriend you put a blade to." Ichigo warned, "What the hell is the problem away?"

"Guess she hasn't told you everything. Maybe it's better that way, especially since you're kind of clueless about things like this." Shinji smirked, "Anyway, you didn't come here to discuss your love life did you?"

"No, I came here for a favor….." Ichigo replied

"I'm listening." Shinji smiled

Hoshiko walked back in to direction of Urahara's shop, she placed her hands in her hands in her pockets as she wondered if Ichigo had started training yet. She hoped the greeting the Visoreds gave her wouldn't make him question her or worse not want anything to do with her. Shinji was right to ask her to leave, any longer around them and she would have started……

"Hoshiko," she turned to find Renji walking up to her. He had his usual serious look and his hands in his pockets as he now stood in front of her

"Stalking me now Renji?" Hoshiko asked

"You wish, I figured you would take Ichigo to get help."

"More like you followed us and found out where I delivered him." She interrupted; as she was being greeted by the Visoreds, she felt his reiastu looming around the warehouse.

"I wanted to make sure you were alright being around Ichigo after what happened last night." Renji commented

"Why wouldn't I be?" Hoshiko asked

"You're talking to me Hoshiko. We can skip dancing around the subject of your _mask_." He replied, she diverted her eyes from his, "You should have guessed I was coming to talk to you about last night. I'm not mad about your fight; you did what you had to do to protect Ichigo. However, I'm concerned about the mask being present now. Since it's out, there is no need to hide it."

"I won't use it again." She stated

"I'm not asking you not to. I'm asking you to be cautious. The mask is a part of you and fighting an Espada would bring out the beast in anyone. Only you know when it is the right time to use it. But, you know what it does and being in constant contact with Ichigo and Hollows will only make it harder for you." He said

"I'm fine, Renji." Hoshiko sighed

"You feed on Hollows!" Wind passed between the two of them, Hoshiko never wanted the truth about her mask to be said in the open, "You know I don't judge you and I admire your abilities. I know things aren't like they used to be between us, but this is something I think we need to talk about as friends. Ichigo is not a normal Shinigami; the Hollow inside of them could complicate things for you. I know you would never do anything intentionally to him. But the temptation is still there." Renji said

"You're right. Things aren't the same with us. Not sure if they will ever be, but I would never hurt Ichigo. And as long as I never reach a hundred percent my maximum, I'll never be a threat." She replied

"Fine, Hoshiko." He sighed, "Besides talking to you, I came here to let you know Genryūsai Yamamoto wants to speak with you."

"Again?" Hoshiko asked

"Rather to speak with you without Ichigo present." Renji corrected, Hoshiko sighed as they both started walking in the direction of Orihime's apartment. When they reached the apartment, Hoshiko wasn't surprised to see the rest of the gang there waiting for Genryūsai Yamamoto to speak.

"Wairudo!" Hoshiko shivered angrily at the sound of Ikkaku's voice—only he would call her that, he had been calling her that since the day she met him. She was almost surprised that he would still refer to her as the wild one. But, she honestly hated that name, it reminded her about the old times in Soul Society, perhaps even the better times. She figured Ikkaku was trying to make things less tense in the room, but as always the remark left him with a knot in his head. Renji laughed as Ikkaku held his head, Hoshiko balled her first and threaten to hit him again if he called her Wairudo.

"Still have a good right hand I see," Ikkaku smirked

"Call me Wairudo again and you'll see the left one too, Ikkaku." Hoshiko warned. Suddenly they all turned and listened as Genryūsai Yamamoto appeared on the screen. Surprisingly the meeting wasn't to complain about Hoshiko instead they were informed about Aizen's plan. He desires to use 100,000 human souls to create a key to the dimension the King of Soul Society lives in and overthrow him.

"Where can he get 100,000 souls so quickly?" Renji asked

"Karakura Town." Genryūsai Yamamoto replied as all of them widen their eyes, Aizen planned to wipe Karakura Town off the map.

"We can't let him do that." They all turned to see Orihime standing in the doorway; she had walked into her home just in time to hear about Karakura Town, "Gomen nasai, I didn't know you all were…."

"Stay Inoue Orihime, this conversation is essential to you as well." Genryūsai Yamamoto interrupted, "This situation has become more difficult—with Aizen's plan known and now having a better understanding to the abilities of the Arrancars and Espada, the coming war will call for everyone's help. This is why after realizing the difficulty in Kurani Hoshiko's task; I am allowing her to use forty-five percent of her maximum to handle any Espada that she engages. Along with this, if your reporting officer see fit, he can execute any actions necessary to control you. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Genryūsai Yamamoto." Renji replied

"We're clear, for the moment." Hoshiko commented

"Remember your place in this Hoshiko." Genryūsai Yamamoto warned

"I remember it well; let's hope you remember our deal after all this is done." She replied. Soon the meeting was over, as Hoshiko was leaving, Orihime stopped her

"You and Kurosaki-kun weren't in school today. And he's not here, is he okay?" she asked, Hoshiko could see the compassion in her eyes. She was truly concerned for Ichigo; she had the same eyes that Hoshiko had whenever she asked about _him. _There was no question that Orihime was in love with Ichigo.

"He's fine—training as always." Hoshiko replied. Now that she started thinking about Ichigo again, she was worried as well. As much as she tried to be neutral about him, she was having a hard time denying the feelings she was growing towards him. She wondered if Orihime hated her; from the time she spent with her the girl didn't seem like she could hate her worse enemy if she even had any. But, it had to hurt knowing the guy you loved was involved with someone else.

"How long will he be gone?" Orihime asked

"I'm not sure, I couldn't stay with him. But, I know he'll be back soon." Hoshiko replied

"I hope he's ok." Orihime stated, "Thank you, Hoshiko-chan." Hoshiko watched as she smiled before she walked away

"So what are you going to do now?" Renji asked walking up to Hoshiko

"You're off duty, you don't need to keep tabs on me." She replied

"I'm always on the clock with you." He said

"I'm headed home. It's getting late; I think I'll go to school tomorrow so it won't look weird with too many people missing." Hoshiko commented

"Someone might think you ran away with Ichigo." Renji teased

"Whatever Renji. See you later." She sighed

"I'll try to stop by later. Now that everything is out in the open, we can catch up a little." He said as she nodded and made her out the door. Renji sighed, he was trying to make things better between them, but it seemed like things would never be the same. He missed having her as a best friend and now he wondered if he would ever have his friend again.

Later in the evening Hoshiko found herself perched on Ichigo's roof—there was no need to go to her fake home, so instead she decided to watch over Ichigo's house while he was gone. The sun had gone down a few hours ago and no one would see her. Or at least she thought no one would. So busy in her thoughts about Ichigo, she didn't realize Renji was behind her. He coughed to make his presence known, she turned her head and saw him looking down at her.

"Like some company?" he asked before dropping down to sit next to her

"You're trying too hard." Hoshiko stated

"What are you talking about?" Renji asked innocently

"You don't need to stalk me every hour to be my friend Renji. This is as close as our friendship will be now Renji." She replied

"There is only one thing right about that statement, I am your friend. And as that, I don't see the problem with me hanging around you." He said, "What brings you up here anyway, boredom?"

"You could say that." Hoshiko sighed

"Or do you just miss your boyfriend?" Renji asked

"No, I'm just thinking. And since Ichigo is gone, I figured I would watch over his house." She replied

"Sure." He smirked, "I've been watching you two lately. Honestly, I think you're falling for him."

"I can't fall for anyone, you need a heart remember." Hoshiko stated harshly, Renji sighed at her hidden meaning to the statement

"Perhaps if you give this a chance, things could be different. Things can change, if you let them." Renji suggested

"The only chance I want is a second shot at that Espada's head. Grimmjow is going to come after Ichigo again. I know he will—he's like an animal, he's in it for the prey. Because of that I'm worried of what he could do to Ichigo." She said

"I'm more worried of what he could do to you." He replied

"You should know better than that." Hoshiko commented as she slowly rose to her feet, Renji watched as she dusted herself off, "It's late, I'm going to class tomorrow. You should try it too; last I checked some of the teachers didn't even know you. If you're going to play a high school student, you should at least go to class."

"I'll think about it." Renji replied, soon she was gone and he was alone in his thoughts again. Sighing he looked up at the darkened skies. He hoped that after all this things would be different with Hoshiko. He honestly missed her and wanted to make things better. But as long as she had hate in her heart that would never happen.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

In the past four weeks, Hoshiko went to school as she said she would, but without Ichigo the days were boring and left her wondering if he was okay. How long would the Visoreds train him? Should she check on him? She knew she shouldn't worry, but every time someone mentioned his absence all those thoughts filled her mind. When her last class for the day was over, she bumped into Orihime.

"Hey, Orihime." Hoshiko greeted as she grabbed her books

"Hoshiko-chan, how are you?" Orihime asked holding her own books

"I'm okay. How's everything with you?" Hoshiko asked in return, she noticed the uneasiness between them

"I'm okay." Orihime smiled as she tried to hide her real feelings

"He's fine. I haven't seen him yet, but I know he's ok." Hoshiko commented

Orihime seemed surprised that she knew that's what she really wanted to know, "I can feel his reiatsu faintly and I know your right. He's just probably training really hard."

"That's Ichigo for you." Hoshiko sighed

"I better head home. It was nice talking to you Hoshiko-chan." Orihime smiled

"Same here Orihime," Hoshiko watched as the young girl turned to leave, "Umm Orihime?"

"Yes?" Orihime stopped and turned to her

"When Ichigo comes back, you should…" Hoshiko paused; she wanted to help Orihime tell Ichigo how she felt, but a part of her couldn't do it, "You should tell him how much you missed him. I'm sure he would like knowing you cared."

"I will. I guess you're right, Ichigo could use everyone's encouragement." Orihime smiled, "See you tomorrow Hoshiko-chan."

"Sayonara Orihime." Hoshiko soon left the classroom as well, she was confused by her feelings again, feelings that she thought were dead seemed to plague her when Ichigo was involved. She knew Orihime was in love with Ichigo and she would be the best person to be with him. Orihime was a semi-normal teenage girl, while she was a prisoner of Soul Society out on bail. How could she compare? Besides when everything was over with, Genryūsai Yamamoto would hold up to his end of the bargain and give her what she wanted. About to walk through the school door's she suddenly stopped, Hoshiko felt a now familiar reiatsu. It was hidden fairly well, but now that she had a taste of it she could spot it a mile away. Grimmjow Jaggerjack was close. She wondered if he was looking for Ichigo or was he looking for a second round? Quickly she ran back into the school and made it appear as if she forgot something. She wasn't sure where he was, but she knew he could see her. After a few moments, Hoshiko gathered herself and walked out of the school. She was actually happy that he appeared—it would be the perfect opportunity to eliminate the problem. With Ichigo gone and her maximum up to forty-five percent, Aizen would have to replace his sixth Espada. Hoshiko turned into a corner and made her way down an alley, she wanted him to show himself, she wasn't into playing cat and mouse when she was the mouse. When she was a few feet away from the exit, her temper nearly made her scream out to him for being afraid of a school girl. But, suddenly she felt a gush of wind pass her and with it a hand grasped around her neck. In a flash she was up in the air; fingers clamped tightly around her neck. She struggled, kicking her legs and beating at Grimmjow's arm,

"Let go of me!" Hoshiko yelled, but he didn't pay her request any attention, instead he seemed to be studying her. What the hell was he looking for? Suddenly, her eyes widened when Grimmjow leaned close and sniffed around neck. Soon, his grip tightened and she began to gasp for air. Lifting his head from her neck to her ear, he roughly slammed her against the brick wall.

"Now that I have you, what will I do with you, woman?" Grimmjow asked mockingly. He watched her like a cat evaluating the evening's treat, "But, you smell different, woman. Like you're missing something." Grimmjow growled, "Like a fuckin' soul?" Hoshiko's Gigai panicked, he knew that she wasn't really Hoshiko.

"Let me go Espada!" she yelled

"I would, but maybe you're more fun than the woman." He smirked rubbing his nose against her neck again, "You smell good, good enough to eat." Sticking out his tongue, he ran it along her neck and up to her chin. Inches away from meeting her lips, Grimmjow suddenly released the Gigai and flashed away. If he had been seconds slower, the blade of Izanami would have cut him down the middle. Looking back at the Gigai that he nearly sexually harassed, he found the dual blades buried into the ground.

"You sick perverted bastard!" Hoshiko groaned as she shunpoed off the ledge of a nearby building and landed on the handle of her Zanpaktou.

"Was wondering how far you let me go before you showed yourself?" Grimmjow stated as he placed his hands in his pockets, "I gotta say, your gigai is pretty hot, but nothing beats the real thing, woman."

"Funny, I would be mad that you showed up, but I'm actually glad to see you. It gives me another chance to take your head off." She said

Grimmjow laughed, "You read my mind, I came here to find the kid and instead I find you all alone. What's up, your skull face scare him off? I can't say I ain't happy to find you instead; it really wasn't that hard after I picked up your scent the last time I saw you." Hoshiko watched him carefully, he found her by scent? She recalled him sniffing her Gigai; he probably was able to track people by scent instead of reiatsu.

"You are an animal." She smirked, she also noticed that he had a scar on his chest from the last time they met. Now she was confident that she could destroy him, with just a small percent of her maximum she was able to leave a mark on him.

"Takes one to know one," Grimmjow replied, "So you going to make this easy and let me kill you quick or you are puttin' up a fight woman?"

"Do I even have to answer that?"Hoshiko asked in return as she jumped off Izanami and picked it up. Grimmjow watched with an evil smile as she spun it around and went into a defensive stance.

"Good, I'm always in the mood for a fight." He stated, suddenly the both of them shunpoed up to the skies and stood a few feet away from each other, "Don't you need permission from Soul Society first? Or they let you have your minimum again?" He was still waiting to see what was so good about her—so far all he saw was a pretty face with a big toy.

"I apologize in advance, with Ichigo gone this is the best opportunity to kill you. Outside of Soul Society, you are the only other person who has seen my skull. So there is no question you have to die. Out of respect I'll try to keep you in four pieces." Grimmjow couldn't contain his laugher, she couldn't be serious. He was an Espada, no "skull" scared him. He watched her as her stance changed and suddenly her reiatsu flared and in moments turned fiery blue. He narrowed his eyes at her as smoke started to surround them. Her right hand erupted into a flame matching her reiatsu. She ran the fire over her face and soon replaced it with a skull mask. Her hair now blue flames dancing widely in the air. Grimmjow's eyes widened as the smoke cleared and he saw her, this was nothing like he expected. Abruptly her eyes opened—a few flames escaped the holes as her bright silver eyes narrowed at him. Hoshiko's mind was slowly succumbing to the _Mask of Hades—_her vision was turning black and white, it had been so long since she let it take her over that the feeling was a bit overwhelming. But, she had to do this; Ichigo wouldn't be safe as long as Grimmjow was loose. Even if he was after her, a man like him would hurt Ichigo just to get to her.

Before Grimmjow could fully grasp what happened, she shunpoed in front of him and kicked him hard in the gut. Sending him a few feet away from her, Grimmjow fell to one knee as he tried to catch his breath. _What the hell is she? Is she a monster?_ He thought glancing up at her. She kept the distance between them as if she was studying him, he watched intensely as her reiastu was now fierce and untamed.

"What the fuck are you?" Grimmjow groaned, "Your boyfriend know about your face problem?"

"This is a side of me I don't want Ichigo to see." She said as smoke escaped her mouth, her voice was different; it was darker and more demonic.

"Should I be honored I get to see it, woman?" Grimmjow smirked. He was beside himself as thoughts of seeing how good the so called slaughterer really was, "Is this finally your maximum, skull face?" he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, he was surprised when his hand came back with spots red from the cut above his right eye, _when did she cut me? _He thought, "Not a bad move, you made me bleed. Guess I have to return the favor." Hoshiko watched as he pulled out his Zanpaktou and prepared to fight her.

"You still haven't answered my question tho, is this your maximum?" he asked, her only reply was inhaling a gulp of air and spiting fire up into the skies. Grimmjow strangely found the gesture appealing, "I take that as a yes." Suddenly he charged at her but Hoshiko easily reflected the attack. Not giving him time to recover, she swung Izanami over his head—taking off a few strands of his hair, Grimmjow was lucky she didn't get his head instead. Rising his Zanpaktou to crash down on her, she blocked it and surprised Grimmjow when she kicked him in the stomach again. Sending him falling down a few feet, he cursed as blood rushed past his lips. What was going on? He was always the aggressor between him and his opponent. What was so different about this damn woman? She's stronger, before that would have never hurt him. It must be that damn mask; it increased her speed and strength, Grimmjow thought as he held his stomach. Standing up straight he didn't even see her shunpo to the back of him. He tried to flash away, but she ran the blade of Izanami down his back before he could. Blood tainted the skies as he groaned in pain. Flaming eyes watched as Grimmjow started falling downward, she wouldn't give him a chance to catch himself, she had to end this before she lost her stability with Izanami. Lunging down towards him, she prepared for the final blow. But, Hoshiko should have known Grimmjow would never let that happen easily. He raised his hand and released a blast of Cero at her. She stopped and started to madly spin Izanami in front of her. When the blast hit the shield she had created it was deflected upward. Grimmjow groaned, she was becoming a pain. He wasn't prepared for this or really he didn't expect her to have these abilities. Within moments, he hit the ground hard and created a hole beneath him. Hoshiko followed him to the ground and descended a few feet away from him. With a grunt, Grimmjow stood up and used his Zanpaktou to get to his feet.

"Bitch," he mumbled as he spat blood, the wound on his back felt as if it was burning his flesh. Ignoring it he prepared to fight her again. Hoshiko raised Izanami,

"You die here to today, Grimmjow Jaggerjack." Hoshiko stated

"Bullshit! Save it for the boy—I'll tell him the same thing before I take his head off." Grimmjow replied, the flames in her eyes deepened, had he struck a nerve? "You don't like me threatening the boy do you? So If I said after I kill you, I'll slice him through…."Suddenly she shunpoed in front of him and he had to block her Zanpaktou from crashing down on him.

"Don't you ever touch him!" fire escaped from Hoshiko's mouth as she yelled at him. The two sprang a part; her temper was rising at the thought of Grimmjow hurting Ichigo. _**"Are you really fighting for him?"**_ Hoshiko heard Izanami's voice ring in her head, "_**You're fighting to save the boy, your losing your edge. Becoming weak again, I see. Have you forgotten what love did to you before? You fought for him and look what that got you."**_ Hoshiko shook her head, she didn't need Izanami lecturing her during a battle, _"Enough, I don't need this right now. Grimmjow has to die or else Ichigo will."_ She thought, groans could be heard from Izanami, the Goddess of Death was not happy by her wielder's decision, _**"Have it your way."**_ Before Hoshiko could continue her debate with Izanami, Grimmjow flashed directly in front of her and let a burst of energy knock her away. Trying to find her footing, he used her dazed state as a chance to slash her stomach. Hoshiko screamed as she felt the blade cut through her and watched as blood gushed out. _How am I able to feel this pain? I should feel anything right now._ She thought as she clutched Izanami tightly. _**"Love is evil, I know. So don't use me to fight for your love."**_ Izanami warned, Hoshiko tried to block Grimmjow's advances, but with Izanami being uncooperative, she would become a sitting duck. The loud sound of metal collided, Grimmjow had a smirk on his face, he could feel the decreasing pressure in her reiatsu. Attempting to slash him, he shoved her blade away and aimed for a blind spot. She shunpoed in the back of him and brought Izanami crashing down only to be blocked as Grimmjow moved his Zanpaktou to the back of him. He turned around and used Cero again, but this time knocked Hoshiko up into the skies. He launched himself up and was speeding towards her.

"What's wrong woman, your skull face just a fluke?" Grimmjow laughed as he neared her, Hoshiko closed her eyes as she begged for Izanami to work with her. Just as she thought the Zanpaktou had a change in heart, her face started to burn as the Mask of Hades slowly vanished.

"No!" she groaned, this was bad—why would Izanami release the mask at a time like this? Grimmjow suddenly brought his foot up to her chest and kicked her around before sending her downwards. While falling, all Hoshiko could think about was failing to protect Ichigo. Now silver, her hair cascaded around her as she fought to keep her eyes open. Blood continued to escape her abdomen and coat the skies crimson. Through squinted eyes she saw Grimmjow launch himself like a missile and sped towards her. He had a sadistic smirk on his face. _Was this it? Would Grimmjow kill her_, the thought of dying by his hands actually registered—if he killed her, she could end her ties with Soul Society and be done with her cursed life. She was tired of it after all anyway; she was always fighting and proving herself. Now Grimmjow was another person challenging her, trying to knock her down, just like the rest of them. But, at least he did it in front of her, instead of behind her back. Grimmjow was inches away from her, his Zanpaktou raised and aimed at her neck. It was a deciding moment, she could let Grimmjow do what _he_ was afraid to do years ago or she could stop him. First choice was easier, but she was never one to take the easy route. Lifting her Zanpaktou, she prepared to defend herself. Just as the blade neared her neck, she caught it with Izanami and blocked it. Grimmjow's eyes widen, he was surprised she still had some kind of fight in her. To be honest, he was sickeningly excited about it. He didn't want the fight to end, he didn't know why but he enjoyed fighting her. He knew the end result would be him killing her, but it didn't mean he couldn't enjoy himself. She was a rare type of Shinigami to him, but most of all she wasn't like any other woman he had ever met. Something about her made him want to challenge her, fight her for hours and bring out the worse in her. He could understand Aizen's obsession, but it was more than her beauty that made Grimmjow want….Suddenly he was thrown out of his thoughts when Hoshiko raised her knee and tried to kick him away from her. But he turned and kicked her hard in the stomach. She screamed as she was sent crashing into a wall. Blood gushed out her mouth and stomach, she struggled to get up.

"I know you can take more than that, woman!" Grimmjow commented

"Choke on meow mix!"Hoshiko groaned, he looked her over and noticed all the various bruises he had caused her.

"When you're covered in blood like that, I can see why you have the boy's hormones racing by the minute."

"You're sick and perverted." She replied

"Maybe…can you blame me Shinigami?" he continued to watch her, in a flash he grabbed her by her hair and yanked her head back. Hoshiko groaned in pain at the movement. Grimmjow leaned into her so he could rub his nose against her exposed neck, "Your pulse is racing. Are you scared of me?"

"It's cause I'm disgusted by you! Get your damn hands off of me." Hoshiko yelled as she struggled against him.

"What, you afraid of another man's touch? C'mon, can't I loan you from Ichigo for a while?" Grimmjow drawled as she gritted her teeth. With an evil smirk, he threw her down to the ground, she hit the concrete hard and widened her eyes as more blood flooded her mouth and forced her to cough it up in the blots. A sick smile crept up to his lips as he watched her gasp for breath. This is what he wanted after all; he wanted the so called legend to die by his hand. She was a game and he was hunting her—hurting people was a pastime to him, it reminded him he was still king and anyone who crossed him died as an example. Walking over to her broken form, Grimmjow bent down and examined her, although she had gotten a few good hits on him, he was clearly the winner. Mindlessly his hand reached out and touched her blood stained cheek, his eyes locked with hers for a brief moment before she slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me!" she warned, even on the brink of death she was still feisty. He had to smirk at her

"Shame you're a Shinigami, woman." He commented rising his hand to her face, "I'll do you a favor and make this quick. At this range Cero will be instant death." Hoshiko narrowed her eyes at the Cero forming in his hand; she could feel the heat pressing against her face. _So this is really how it ends?_ She wondered, thoughts of Ichigo, Renji and the others crossed her mind. Just as she closed her eyes to prepare for the blast, she felt the heat move away from her face. Quickly opening her eyes, she searched his and tried to understand why he stopped. Grimmjow himself looked puzzled, the movement was involuntary. He meant to kill her; after all this he had to kill her, she handed his ass to him, it was only right he rid himself of her. Before Grimmjow could attempt Cero again, his right hand froze over with ice. Both he and Hoshiko looked shocked, looking over his shoulder he found the female Shinigami that he hurt before.

"Tsugi no Mai," Rukia said as she started the second dance of her Zanpaktou, "Hakuren!"Suddenly Grimmjow was covered in ice. Hoshiko watched through slit eyes as a few snowflakes fell to the ground. While he was a block of ice, Rukia used this as an opportunity to run other to Hoshiko.

"Hoshiko!" she called as she leaned down to her, "We have to get you to Orihime." Just as Rukia tried to help her up, she noticed the half mask on her face. Hoshiko tried to turn away, but Rukia had already saw it. Opening her mouth to speak, Rukia stopped as she heard the ice start to break. Before she could react, Grimmjow's hand grabbed the side of her head. Hoshiko panicked as she tried to rise up and summon Izanami.

"Don't sell me short, Shinigami." Grimmjow warned as shards of ice broke off his body, "You think freezing one layer of my skin would actually kill me?" Rukia was terrified, his grip was unmovable and slowly a cero was forming in his hand. Hoshiko gritted her teeth; she couldn't let him kill her. But her body was broken down and she was powerless.

"Rukia!" Hoshiko yelled as Grimmjow started to laugh evilly. Moments from having her head blown off, Grimmjow was caught with another surprise when a blast of energy blew his hand away from her. Both Rukia and Hoshiko were relieved—Rukia was shaking at the realization of what could have happened and Hoshiko watched to find the owner of the attack that saved Rukia. When she did, her eyes widened.

"Ichigo!" she gasped, he was standing on a roof above them holding Zangetsu tightly. He was already in his Bankai form and now he wore his Hollow mask as well.

"What hell is with you people and masks?" Grimmjow groaned as he examined Ichigo, unlike the woman, his mask was similar to a Hollow. He could feel his reiatsu almost like his own. Ichigo looked down to make sure Rukia was okay, turning to Hoshiko, she had turned away from him but he could see that she was badly injured. His temper was flaring, but he had to be calm; he had a limited amount of time to hold the Hollow mask. If he didn't think straight, he would lose. Grimmjow noticed Ichigo looking at his girlfriend's broken body, "It bother you knowing I did that to her? Her blood is on my hands?" Fire nearly came out of Ichigo's eyes and he saw Grimmjow playfully lick a smudge of blood off his hand. Without even thinking, Ichigo shunpoed in front of him and the fight began. Hoshiko could hear the clashing up their swords, she hated the fact that all she could do was lay down and let Ichigo fight Grimmjow. Rukia watched the fight astonished; Ichigo was fighting an Espada and holding his own. His power was remarkable—his speed and strength were increased, even Grimmjow had a hard time counteracting him. Grimmjow had to catch his breath as blood ran down his face—Ichigo was tossing him around like a ragdoll and he despised it. Before he could catch his breath, Ichigo was behind him and preparing for another blast from Zangetsu.

"You shouldn't have touched her." Ichigo stated

"Someone had to touch her, doesn't seem like she's getting any, or at least not enough." Grimmjow smirked; soon his smirk turned into a groan as the blast hit him and sent him flying. Ichigo was in pursuit of him and ready for the next attack.

"This is over Grimmjow," Ichigo commented rising his Zanpaktou for the final blow. But just as he did, his mask shattered into pieces. Ichigo's eyes widened in shock, _Damnit Not now, I'm too close,_ Ichigo thought. Already Grimmjow had a devilish smile on his face. With a quick flick of his wrist, Grimmjow sliced Ichigo across the chest. Ichigo fell backwards as Grimmjow pursued him.

"This is over for you Shinigami!" Grimmjow laughed, Ichigo landed hard into the side of a building. Soon Grimmjow was stalking over to him ready to end their fight and bring the slaughterer's head back on his Zanpaktou. Lifting his Zanpaktou, he was about to kill Ichigo, but suddenly he was stopped.

"Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow's eyes widened

"Enough Grimmjow," the fellow Espada made Grimmjow lower his weapon, "We found what we came for."

"I didn't come here because of Aizen," Grimmjow replied angrily 

"Your job is done." Ulquiorra stated in a commanding tone, "We're leaving." To Grimmjow's disliking, a dark hole opened and Ulquiorra casually walked into it. Grimmjow sheathed his Zanpaktou and reluctantly followed.

"This ain't over—I proved I can have your head twice Shinigami and when I'm done with you, I'll have your girlfriend." Grimmjow stated as he walked into the hole. Ichigo groaned as he stood up from the debris. He quickly made his way over to Hoshiko—she was turned on her side with her back facing him.

"Hoshiko…."he kneeled down and gently touched her shoulder

"Don't look at me." Hoshiko stated. She was scared of how he would react to her mask; thoughts of him freaking out and being disgusted by her quickly filled her head.

"What?" Ichigo was confused, but he ignored her comment and turned her over. Placing her in his arms, he saw her mask. Caught off guard, he thought it was an injury, but quickly realized it was type of mask similar to his own. The remaining of it was disappearing, but not as quickly as she would have liked. Ichigo reached a hand out and touched the side of her face, running his fingers over the skull it felt hard and had a warm energy escaping from it.

"Don't touch it, I'll end up hurting you." She breathed, it was true, because she was hurt her body was searching for ways to heal and with Ichigo being so close, he was an available _Hollow_.

"Stop worrying about me." Ichigo groaned, "Why did you fight him alone, especially when I was gone. What if I didn't make it in time? Grimmjow would have killed the both of you."

"He's my problem; I should be the one to handle any Espada that poses a threat to you." Hoshiko replied

"Now he's _my_ problem, anyone that hurts you has to deal with me. I don't know what more I can do to show you I care and I don't want you putting yourself in danger for me." He sighed, his hand once again found her face, suddenly he felt something pulling at his reiatsu. Hoshiko felt his energy entering her body but as much as she needed it, she pushed him away and stopped the mask from feeding from him. Ichigo held his hand as for a second it was paralyzed.

"I'm sorry." she crawled further away from him. Soon Ichigo got the feeling back in his hand, "I can't be near you right now. My healing process is still trying to work." She could feel her body getting cold and her eyes slowly closing. Since she wasn't _healing_ properly, she would pass out.

"Hoshiko what….are you?" Ichigo asked, but before he could get an answer she dropped down again and was unconscious, "Hoshiko!" Just as he was reaching for her, another set of arms wrapped around her and lifted her off the ground. Ichigo raised his head to find Renji cradling her.

"She has to heal." Ichigo could hear annoyance in Renji's voice

"We can find Orihime." Ichigo said

"She can't heal her." Renji replied, "…..She needs a Hollow."

"….Then we'll get her a Hollow." Renji watched as Ichigo stood up, he was unsure of Ichigo's intentions, but he needed to help Hoshiko somehow. With Rukia close to him, Renji followed Ichigo to whatever plan he had.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Once again Grimmjow found himself in front of Aizen's throne—he was ordered to report to Aizen upon his return, despite nearly eliminating two problems, Ulquiorra informed him that Aizen wasn't happy with his actions. Standing in the center of the room, he had his hands in his pockets waiting for Aizen to speak. The faster this was over, the faster he could get back to ending the bullshit about the Beautiful Slaughterer. His mind was being plagued with thoughts of her and it was beginning to annoy him. He couldn't put it into words, but she was driving him crazy. What the hell was she anyway—her power was overwhelming, never had anyone hurt him like that, especially some woman. It was that damn mask. It made her stronger and made him sick. Even during their fight he felt his reiatsu draining and he was becoming weaker. He should have killed her when he had the chance, he couldn't understand why he stopped when her head was nearly blasted off. For some reason his body stopped while his mind was screaming kill her. He was sure of his hatred for her, he just wasn't sure of any other feelings he had.

"Grimmjow," Aizen paused, his chin rested on his hand, "I appreciate your determination, however I feel it is reflected at the wrong person. Kurani Hoshiko, also known as the Beautiful Slaughterer to you, is of interest to me now. This is why I would prefer you let go of this little game you have created with her." Grimmjow looked confused for a second; he wanted him to leave her alone? Like he could do that now, like a lion could leave his prey alone after he already had his eyes set on it.

"Leave her alone? Why?" Grimmjow asked

"There is no need for you to know why, however, don't take this as a request. This is an order, Grimmjow." Aizen warned but Grimmjow wasn't someone who took threats easily

"If you're worried about your little Slaughterer, don't worry I won't hurt her too much." He said as Aizen sighed

"You just can't seem to obey me, can you Grimmjow." Aizen commented, "Like a wild animal you chase your prey like a game and won't stop until its dead," Slowly Aizen stood from his seat, walking down the steps, Grimmjow watched him closely. Without warning, Aizen released his reiatsu and caused Grimmjow to gasp from the immense power. He fell to his knees in an attempt to brace himself against the weight of it, "I am being humble after you injured Hoshiko without my permission. As an animal, you should understand the laws of the wild—surrender to the Alpha male because he is the strongest. I believe we don't even have to question who the strongest is between us." Grimmjow groaned as his breathing was slowly turning back to normal.

"Do we have an understanding, Grimmjow?" Aizen stated calmly, Grimmjow only stood and nodded his head in agreement. He didn't know why Aizen would care if a Shinigami died or not, but for the moment he would deal with him playing favorites. He just wasn't sure if he could resist not wanting to hurt _Hoshiko_ again.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Renji sat quietly on the roof of Hoshiko's _fake _home; it had been a few hours since he brought her there, Ichigo's plan was to heal her by him being an IV. With the help of Unohana Taicho, they created a way for Ichigo to give her small amounts of reiatsu without hurting himself. Renji was happy that Hoshiko was healing slowly and would be back on her feet in a couple of days. But a part of him felt troubled by the situation. For the first time in centuries, he felt old feelings resurface. The moment he found out Hoshiko was fighting with an Espada again, he panicked. She was nearly killed and if Ichigo hadn't arrived he would have last Rukia and her. But for some reason the thought of losing Hoshiko again scared him. He couldn't lose her again, not like this. He wished he could have arrived sooner, but training with Chad left him occupied.

"Stop worrying about Wairudo." Renji was dragged out of his thoughts by the sound of Ikkaku's voice, his long time friend was standing behind him now, "She's strong, we both know that first hand. She'll pull though this."

"I know, I'm actually kind of worried about what happens after she's healed. She'll try to get right back on the horse and fight him again." Renji sighed

"Well, that's just how she is. Can't say I don't understand it, persistence is one of the few things she and I agree on." Ikkaku smirked

"What if Ichigo hadn't made it in time? I would have got there to find dead bodies." Renji clutched his fists

"But he did. So we move on, besides the kid cares for her, he wouldn't let anything happen to her." Ikkaku commented

"He does," Renji paused, "The look Ichigo had on his face while giving her his reiatsu, was the kind of look that a man has when he falls in love at first sight." he closed eyes and smirked, he knew Ichigo was falling in love with Hoshiko….

"You should know, you fell in love with Hoshiko when you first saw her." Ikkaku stated more than asked, Renji's eyes widened at his statement. _Why would he say that? _Renji thought

"What?"

"Why haven't you ever told Hoshiko you love her? You should have told her." Renji continued to raise his eyebrows in confusion

"What the hell are you talking about? It's not like that, I think of Hoshiko as is a good friend, but it's not like that....I mean... you know what I mean...It's just....I've known her for so long and…" Ikkaku smirked as he laughed lightly. He put his hand on Renji's arm, hoping to stop his babbling.

"Renji, it's okay. I won't tell anyone. It's something personal for you. Your secret is safe with me. I've known her long enough to know she built a wall not to block people out, but to see who loves her enough to climb over it. This is the second time you've let another man get over that wall." Renji watched as his friend turned and left, with a sighed he thought over what was said. It was true, he was in love Hoshiko; he had been since the day he found her. For centuries he regretted the events that lead up to her imprisonment. He wished things were different—he wanted to make Hoshiko happy again and be close to her like they were in the past or even become _closer_. But, he doubted history would allow that to happen.

_**~Hoshiko's Bedroom~**_

Ichigo sat quietly in a chair next to Hoshiko's bed—with the guidance of Unohana Taicho, they created a safe method for Hoshiko to absorb small amounts of his reiatsu so she could heal. It was best idea Ichigo had, he knew they had to act fast and if she feed off Hollows, Ichigo didn't mind helping her. Renji explained what Hoshiko's mask was; like the Visoreds, she had abilities outside of Soul Society, she was a _Child of Hades. _It was a mask that few Shinigami wore; so far Hoshiko was the only known wearer of it. Apparently the mask is given to those who wield a dark Zanpaktou. Renji didn't go into details of what the difference between a regular Zanpaktou and dark Zanpaktou were, but he did break a few pros and cons of the mask. The good thing was that it increased her reiatsu dramatically—her speed and strength were almost unmatched. It restricted her from showing any physical damage and allowed her to track Hollows faster than other Shinigami. The down side was it drained too much energy and all damage taken will attack her all at once ultimately causing her to collapse. For some strange reason Orihime was unable to heal Hoshiko and they suspected it was because of the mask. It also needed the reiatsu of Hollows to survive, why Renji wasn't sure.

"That's enough reiatsu for tonight Ichigo, any more and it could hurt you." Rukia suddenly said as she walked into the room, "Unohana Taicho said she should be fully healed in a couple of days."

"I'm fine; she's not hurting me away." Ichigo replied

"But she could, so let her rest and you can continue again later." Rukia sighed as she left the room. Reluctantly Ichigo removed the bonds that connected him to Hoshiko. As he did she started to move around in her sleep. He remained seated as he looked at her sleeping form—she looked so beautiful, unreal, lying almost peacefully. She groaned in her sleep and lazily started to kick the sheets off her body. Ichigo reached over to cover her properly, but suddenly he looked at her now revealed body. With only a black tank top and shorts, he was able to see some parts of her body. His eyes widened as he saw the many bruises and scars all over her. These were not the injuries from her fight with Grimmjow; they looked like old battle wounds. A long scar on her chest caught his attention. Along with that she had scars on her arms, legs, shoulders and stomach. Turning in her sleep, Ichigo saw a scar on her back and his eyes landed on a tattoo on the back of her neck. He could see the letters RIP engraved there; it looked as if it was burned on. Without realizing it, he was reaching his hand out and touched scar on her back, Ichigo wondered who did this to her and why would they do it. As he thought more about it, he became angry at the thought of someone hurting her. When he felt a pull at his reiatsu, he quickly removed his hand. Slowly she woke up and turned around to look at him.

"Ichigo? What…."

"Relax, you in your home." Ichigo smiled

"You shouldn't be here." Hoshiko sighed

"Its fine, Unohana Taicho helped us figure out a safe way to heal you using me as an IV. It will take longer for you to heal, but at the moment it will have to do." He reassured her, that's when she noticed her _real_ body was visible to him. She quickly grabbed the sheets and covered herself. Urahara had made a special Gigai for her so her scars and marks wouldn't be seen. They weren't something she was proud of and now Ichigo had seen them.

"You didn't have to cover yourself, they don't bother me." He said

"They should, their disgusting." She replied

"I know there are things I have yet to learn about you and your scars are among list. But I have to ask, what happened to you? Where are these scars from?" Ichigo continued to look at her closely

"…Their from my past, each one represent's something that happened to me." Hoshiko stated

"And the RIP on the back of your neck?" he continued

"The mark of Hades, it symbolizes the bond between me and Izanami. It appeared on my neck the first time I released her." She replied, she didn't want to talk about her scars any more. Ichigo could see she was hesitant and was slowly drawing herself back.

"I think I'll head home. I've missed enough school so I'll be at class tomorrow, but I'll come see you after." Ichigo said as he stood up

"You don't have to do that." Hoshiko commented

"It's not a matter of me having to do anything, it's because I want to." He paused, "If you're worried about what I think of you, it's going to take more than some scars to scare me into disliking you. I don't judge remember. I accept you for who you are not what you've done. Whenever you're ready to talk, I'm always ready to listen." Hoshiko looked at him oddly; a part of her wanted to ignore the statement, while the other part wanted to believe in his words and trust him. But, trusting was the hardest part of her life. She couldn't be hurt again.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ichigo." Hoshiko said

"See you later, Hoshiko." She watched as he left the room and soon heard the front door shut behind him. Falling back down on the bed, Hoshiko groaned as she thought over all that happened. Her intentions were good—she wanted to rid Ichigo of a pest and make things safe but with Izanami acting weird the task was difficult. Grimmjow nearly killed her and Rukia would have been hurt trying to save her. Hoshiko sighed as the realization of how difficult protecting Ichigo really was. She knew Izanami was angered by her wanting to protect Ichigo not because of the deal made with Soul Society, but because she cared deeply for him. Emotions that she thought were dead, Ichigo easily brought them back to life. That actually scared Hoshiko the most; being consumed with thoughts of him and worrying about him, would cloud her decisions. As if having Grimmjow trying to kill her wasn't enough. Now she worried about dealing with Ichigo and her feelings for him.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Renji walked through town quietly as he thought about everything that was weighing down on his shoulders. It had been a few weeks since Hoshiko was hurt—already her strength was returning and she was moving around. But with the appearance of three Arrancars last week, she was back to being stuck in bed.

One day while heading to the shop, Hoshiko walked into a warzone—Urahara was away and apparently some Arrancars decided to pay him a visit while he was gone. The others were fighting two Arrancars and Renji was protecting the shop from the supposed leader of the group. When an attack sent him to the ground, Renji expected the worse as the Arrancar prepared to deliver a massive attack. Renji was so busy preparing himself for the attack that he didn't even notice when Hoshiko had appeared in front of him and took the blow for him.

Sighing, Renji remembered how she held an unreleased Izanami in front of her. The impact damaged her weapon as well as her body. He quickly learned that she couldn't release Izanami—prior to protecting him, she tried to release her, but as he feared the Zanpaktou still refused to cooperate with her. With Izanami unreleased, she had exposed herself to the full impact. Renji closed his eyes as he had thoughts of Hoshiko coughing up a spots of blood; she had opened some of her previous wounds and created new ones. Once again she had to be saved. The fact that she couldn't Shikai would be a problem. It was only through the help of Rin, Nova and Cloud, that Renji was able to hold off the Arrancar while Ururu went to get Urahara. Luckily Ichigo returned from training with the Visoreds and helped Renji finish him off. When the fight was finally over, Renji and Ichigo took Hoshiko inside and started to heal her. Now days later, he had to talk with her about what was going on. He, like most of Soul Society knew that her Zanpaktou was different—despite its abilities and power, it could cause more harm than good. Hoshiko was doing a good job controlling it for the most part, but it still was too powerful and had a mind of its own. It was becoming a danger and with the upcoming war, there was no room for an out of control Zanpaktou.

Renji walked into Hoshiko's house and found her sitting against her bedroom wall looking outside of the widow at the night skies. He knew she had a lot on her mind—hopefully she was thinking the same as him and what he had to tell her wouldn't cause an argument between them. He cautiously knocked on the door in case she didn't notice him. She slowly turned her head causing her eyes to glimmer in the moon's light. She looked tired—her hair was pulled into a lose ponytail, she had on a navy blue tank top and black pajama pants. Her wounds seemed to be healing from what he could see; occasionally his eyes would drift to the ones that were permanent.

"What's up Renji?" Hoshiko asked lazily taking him out of his thoughts

"How are you?" Renji asked in returned as he sat on the edge of her bed and faced her

"Good. I'll be ready to start training soon, I need to figure out the problem with Izanami, she won't communicate with me. I think if I start training again she'll open up." She replied

Renji sighed, "I didn't ask if you would be ready to start training soon. I'm concerned about your wellbeing here. I've been dancing around the issue for a bit, but with the way things are going right now I feel that this needs to be said. I'm your friend Hoshiko and no matter how you feel about me I'm always going to be there for you. I'm watching you struggle to get control back over Izanami and its starting to take a toll on you. There's a connection that a Shinigami has with their Zanpaktou and I believe you haven't found that yet. That's why Izanami refuses to work with you, perhaps you're trying to do the impossible and take out Espadas when she's just adapting after being sealed away for centuries."

"You don't know Izanami, that's not why she's fighting me." Hoshiko sighed

"Then talk to me, what's going on? Because you can't fight without a functioning Zanpaktou and if you can't fight then….perhaps you shouldn't be fighting." He stated as she walked over to him

"What do you mean by that?" Hoshiko was annoyed by his words, was he nicely trying to say she shouldn't be here?

"I mean that putting yourself in danger isn't worth the effort. I don't know what deal you have with Soul Society, but I know it's not worth your life. You have been lucky so far fighting Grimmjow, but don't push it you're not indestructible. The only reason you're able to hold your own in a fight with the Arrancars is because Izanami weakens Hollows. If you didn't have her, you would be no better than a rookie Shinigami." Renji waited for her to snap, he knew his words were harsh, but they were the truth. Izanami gave her the abilities that most Shinigami had to work for. Hoshiko was good, but there was still so much she had to learn.

"….Bastard. You've been thinking that for a long time haven't you? Just didn't have the balls to say it." Hoshiko commented as she turned her head away from him. She was hurt, but to her everyone eventually turned their backs on her and it wouldn't be the first time that Renji had, "Get out." She walked towards the door and gestured for him to leave. Normally Renji would have done what she wanted, but tonight she couldn't run from truthful words.

"I can't do that Hoshiko. I know you hate me, but as a friend I won't let that stop me from helping you." He said

"Think you can help me with broken legs? Keep bad mouthing me and your hair won't be the only thing bright red." She warned

"You don't mean that, you only threaten people when those damn walls of yours go up." Renji sighed

"Wanna bet?" Hoshiko asked

"You're no match for me in your state." He replied, "Besides I don't want to this, I just want you to realize how serious this situation is. If you can't handle this assignment without letting your anger get the best of you, then maybe you would be safer in Soul Society."

"You mean back in prison?" she almost yelled, "You and everyone else would like that, sweep me back under the rug so another dirty little secret can be forgotten again." Hoshiko was about to walk away from him, she was hurt by Renji's comments. Sure she wasn't perfect, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to great lengths to protect Ichigo. She already had other officials breathing down her neck; she didn't need the one friend she thought she had joining the bunch. Renji's mind raced as he tried to figure out what to do; he didn't want Hoshiko to be upset, but he didn't want her to get hurt either. Suddenly, he saw his hand reaching out for her arm. As Renji grabbed her, Hoshiko turned to face him. Their faces met within a few inches of each other. His throat suddenly went dry as his gaze met hers.

"What Renji? You stated your opinion and I respect that. But I'm not going back to prison." Renji could tell she was hurt and he had caused it.

"Listen to me Hoshiko, shutting me out again isn't going to make things better. I know that you…."

"You know nothing Renji! You gave up on me the day that you choose his side over mine, so you know nothing about me." She interrupted

"Don't make me the villain of your story. I've been there for you through everything—when everyone treated you like nothing I reminded you that you were a person. When the Taichos said you would never be a Shinigami, I helped you pass their tests and prove them wrong. When you thought the world was against you, I reminded you I'm always there for you. And when he didn't want you, I always wanted you….." He just stared at her; frozen in her eyes. Mindlessly Renji reached out and touched the side of Hoshiko's face. She was surprised by the action, Renji had touched her face numerous times, but this time was different. The way he looked at her wasn't like loving brother she had grown to know, it was a look filled with passion and want. He stroked her face with gentle fingers,

"Renji?" Hoshiko said as she found her voice

"You're the most beautiful woman….inside and out. I wish I had told you that the first time I met you." he whispered. A shiver ran down Hoshiko's spine. His voice was completely different from all the other times he had spoken to her. She opened her mouth to say something, but he put a finger on her lips to silence her, "I should have made you mine before anyone else. I would never hurt you and if I told you sooner, we maybe in a different situation right now." he said. Her heart was pounding a thousand miles a minute now. What the hell was Renji talking about? He was like a brother to her. Renji leaned closer until their lips almost touched each other. Her body tried pulling away but her mind wouldn't let her move. His reddish brown eyes held her silver ones tightly; he had leaned towards her and pressed a small kiss on her lips. Hoshiko started to move away, but he caught her and held her in his grip. The kiss started sweet and slow, but quickly gained in intensity as Renji now slid his arms around her waist. Hoshiko was lost in the moment, every inch of her soul wanted to pull away but something in her wouldn't allow it. Renji pulled her arms around his neck and leaned down to pick her up by the waist. Hoshiko found her legs wrapping around him as he moved over and sat on her bed. Pulling her on top of him, his hands left her waist to run his fingers through her hair. A groan escaped Renji's lips as she ran her hands over the tattoos on his neck. That snapped her out of the trance that had overcome her; she pulled out of his kiss and looked at him puzzled.

"Renji, this is wrong." Hoshiko commented

"Then let it be wrong Hoshiko." Renji replied as he suddenly pulled her against him and kissed her, Hoshiko tried to pull away from him but she was stuck. He was tracing her bottom lip with his tongue when she groaned in protest; Renji took advantage of her slight protest to maneuver his tongue into her mouth. She struggled against him, and he responded by pulling her closer to him in a tight embrace. For a few precious moments, Renji found Hoshiko responding to him, exploring his mouth in return. But when the kiss deepened, she found her strength and abruptly pulled away from him.

"No, we can't do this," Hoshiko said shakily as she moved away from him, "Don't make me do this." Renji dropped his shoulders as he watched her closely, her eyes refused to meet his

"I never understood why I couldn't tell you how I felt, I guess I was foolish enough to think that it would just happen and I could blurt out …. I loved you for a very long time and I still do. I thought with time my feelings would change and I could move on, but the minute I saw you walk into the meeting in Soul Society, I knew nothing had changed. I let one man hurt you and another break your heart and drive you into madness. If I had just been honest from the beginning, none of that would have happened." Renji stated

"But it did and nothing can change that. Renji realize that those feelings I had for you as my friend are still there. Without even thinking, I threw myself in front of that Arrancar's attack because I cared for you. As much as I try to deny it, I love you Renji. But I'm not in love with you and I don't think I could try to be." She replied, now he was the one hurt by words.

"I guess I should have known we could never be more than friends." he commented, he was hurt yet relieved that he confessed to her, "I love you too much to not have you in my life, so if just being your friend keeps you at my side I can live with that." Suddenly a question crossed his mind, "But I have to ask, what does Ichigo have that I don't?" Hoshiko was taken aback by the question

"What Ichigo has? What do you mean?" Hoshiko asked in return

"The way you look at Ichigo, is the same way you looked at him. I'm just curious what Ichigo has that makes you love him." He replied

"I don't love Ichigo." She commented

"I know you're falling in love with him. When you exposed the truth to him, you could have easily broken off any relations you had with him. But you didn't, the two of you are still together because deep down you don't want to lose him. I have my own ideas as to what makes you want him—like the fact that he is an outsider to Soul Society so all their opinions of you mean nothing to him and even knowing whatever he does about you, he still makes an effort to show he cares for you. He awakens all those feelings you thought were dead." Renji said standing up from her bed; he placed his hands in his pockets and started to walk towards the door

"You're wrong Renji." Hoshiko slowly looked at him as he stopped to stand next to her

"I'm always going to be there for you—you could try to keep me away as much as you want, but I'm always going to be there to help you no matter what. But that doesn't mean I can't hope to win your heart while doing so." Hoshiko sighed as she watched him leave her room and eventually heard him close the front door. It was enough that she had to deal with Arrancars, but now this. She wasn't prepared for a battle with her emotions.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

The next day Hoshiko was out of bed and ready to get back in the swing of things. Originally Urahara wanted her to start practicing with Renji and Chad, but the idea of Renji being around her didn't make her feel comfortable. Since he confessed to her, all she could think about were things being awkward between them. So the best way to avoid that was to avoid Renji by all means. Instead Hoshiko headed towards Urahara's shop to get caught up with everything that's been going on outside of her bedroom. When she walked into the shop, he was causally sitting at his tea table having a drink.

"Hello Hoshiko," Urahara took a sip, "What do I owe the pleasure? Have you decided to train today?"

"Sorry Urahara, I've come to talk. I've been out of the scene for a while and need some catching up. I figured you would be the best man for that." Hoshiko replied, "Plus I'm having a problem….with Izanami."

"Well, please have a seat." He offered as she sat down in front of him. He poured her a cup of tea, "First how have you been feeling? Have all your wounds healed?"

"I'm doing better, ready to get back into action." She smiled taking the tea from him

"Really, yet you wouldn't train today? Something else bothering you?" he asked

"No I just feel this is more important. I'll train later." Hoshiko replied, she wondered if he was trying to dance around other questions he really wanted to ask

"Well you haven't really missed much—we're at pause for the moment, neither side has made a move but I suspect Aizen wouldn't stay quiet for long. Everyone's training and Soul Society continues to prepare for upcoming winter war. So far there have been no changes in the plans." Urahara explained before drinking some more tea.

"I guess that's good to hear. Have I been mention during the past weeks?" she asked

"They've just been wondering when you would be up and going again. Don't worry you haven't rubbed them the wrong way yet, but be careful your still on thin ice with Captain Commander." He replied

"When am I not? He'll never acknowledge me no matter what I do. So there's no reason to care what he thinks." Hoshiko mumbled

"As for your Zanpaktou, it sounds like Izanami is mad at you. The connection that a Shinigami has with their Zanpaktou can make or break them. By Izanami refusing to work with you, perhaps you're trying to do the impossible and take out Espadas when she's just adapting to being sealed away for centuries." Urahara explained

"She's just being a bitch." She mumbled

"Perhaps it takes one to know…"

"Don't even finish." Hoshiko warned as Urahara waved his fan teasingly at her

"I think Izanami isn't communicating with you because you may have found happiness again here—it's just like when you first released her, she didn't work with you until…."

"I knew what heartache was. She released in the mist of my sorrow….that's it, I'm too _happy_ right now for her liking." she interrupted

"Misery loves company." he added, she sighed as he was right, "The best person to talk to about this would be Ikkaku—he could help you reconnect with Izanami and settle this problem you have. He's very good with knowing how to communicate with Zanpaktous."

"Fine I'll talk with baldy tomorrow." Hoshiko sighed, some help Urahara was turning out to be.

"Well besides this, are you playing well with the other children?" he asked with a smile on his face

"What the do you mean by that?" Hoshiko asked in return

"Well I'm curious what's going on with your social life here? I know your still seeing Ichigo correct." Urahara paused taking another sip, "At least that's what I've been told."

"I'm still seeing Ichigo….I think….for the moment." She replied unsure of herself, she hated that question; it was always hard to answer.

"Doesn't sound like your sure about yourself, I know Ichigo is sure because from what I've seen and hear he lov…"

"Don't! No he doesn't, he's a boy he doesn't know what he wants. He likes having a girlfriend, I'm supposed to protect him and if being his girlfriend helps me do that then…"

"This is me you're talking to, there's no need to lie and make excuses for how you feel towards Ichigo." It was his turn to interrupt

"You sound like Renji." Hoshiko groaned pushing her tea cup to the side

"Renji?" he asked, "Is that why he seems down today? You two had an argument perhaps."

"We…talked last night and things got heated between us. He wanted me to give up on the order and be placed back in confinement for my own safety." She replied

"That's all? The way you act I would think he finally admitted his love for you." Urahara said as he watched her facial expression drop, he hit the nail on the board.

"You knew?" Hoshiko gasped

"I know more than you think, so tell me what happened between you two that's making you not want to practice with him." he said

"He expressed his feelings to me, but I don't share those feelings so he's hurt. I don't want things to be weird between us so I would rather not be around him." She sighed

"Because you're in lov… "

"Stop trying to say that. I can't love remember, to love you need to feel and know what love is. I don't and I never will." He noticed how she hardened her expression, her defenses were up.

"Love is a funny thing, not like I'm an expert about it, but I believe that anyone can have it. It just takes the right person to show it to you. Maybe you're scared of how Ichigo makes you feel because he makes you question all the feelings he brings out in you—compassion, security, needing, wanting, caring and happiness. All the feelings that you stored away after your heart was broken," Urahara stated

"My heart wasn't broken, lighting was shot through it." She looked away from him, pain was sinking in as memories started to force through the walls she placed them behind.

"I don't mean to bring up sore memories, but I think you need to accept how things are different—Ichigo can make you happy, I think you should let him. If you let _him_ control your life, you will never be happy." Hoshiko was about to answer when they heard the bell ring as someone entered the shop. Turning around Hoshiko was surprised to see the center of their conversation walk into the room.

"Ichigo, good to see you," Urahara greeted

"You invited me, remember?" Ichigo replied as he looked at Hoshiko, even after everything she still had the power to make him weak with just a sight of her. Her hair in a ponytail, she was wearing a black long sleeve shirt and faded blue jeans. She looked gorgeous, "Hoshiko, how are feeling today?"

"Better, I'm glad to be out of the house and back where I belong." Hoshiko replied smiling at him, she tried to ignore the blush rising to her cheeks, but with the conversation she just had with Urahara she couldn't help at least admitting she was attracted to him. He was wearing a black hoodie with the hood over his head, a blue long sleeve t-shirt underneath with the sleeves peeking out from under the rolled up hoodie sleeves and dark blue jeans.

"That's great to hear." Ichigo smiled

"Well since you're here Ichigo, how about practicing with Hoshiko? She just happened to stop by and needed to get back in the swing of things." Urahara commented as Hoshiko narrowed her eyes at him. He had to have known that she would come by and told Ichigo to make a "visit" to the shop, "What do you say Hoshiko? Are you up for practicing with Ichigo?"

"….Sure." she replied sounding hesitant

"…..I think that would be a good idea." Ichigo added

"Good. I'll get things sit up for you and we can get started." Urahara said as he stood up and left the room leaving Ichigo and Hoshiko alone. She stood up from the table and placed her hands in her pockets

"I stopped by your house, but since you weren't there and Urahara invited me over I figured you would be here." Ichigo said

"I needed to talk with him about what was going on while I was stuck in bed." Hoshiko stated, "How are you today Ichigo?"

"I'm good. I can't complain," he replied. Before she could ask him anything else, Urahara called them to the back and they headed down the stairs. Now standing in the middle of an open field, Hoshiko and Ichigo stood in front of each other. Ichigo pulled out his crest and Hoshiko took hold of her necklace. Releasing their souls, they now stood face to face as Shinigami.

"Well, let's begin." Urahara stated

_**~Two Hours Later~**_

Hoshiko breathed heavily, she fully understood how her power deferred without Izanami. The goal of the practice was to force Izanami to release but so far it wasn't working. _The evil bitch was probably enjoying this, _Hoshiko thought. They had been practicing for two hours and all they accomplished was getting her tired. Urahara had taken a break and left to tend to the shop a half an hour ago. Maybe he was right; Izanami may have given up on her. Slowly Hoshiko widen her stance and prepared herself to attack forward. Ichigo clenched his Zanpaktou tightly and stared at Hoshiko, she knew he was holding back. If this were serious he would have the upper hand and do serious damage.

"Stop thinking," Hoshiko said suddenly, Ichigo tried to do as she said, but his mind kept wondering elsewhere. Using all her strength, she shunpoed directly in front of him attempting to strike, he blocked the attack.

_**You're a sad sight to see…I'm almost glad you can't release me. **_Hoshiko heard Izanami echo through her head, _"Now you want to talk to me?" __**I figured it's been long enough, perhaps you realized how much you need me. **__"Check your ego, you should know me better than that, I don't beg. Besides I need you just as much as you need me. You won't find another Shinigami crazy enough to wield you except me." __**I am sure that if I looked hard enough I could find a better owner—one that learns from their mistakes and doesn't repeat them. **__"Enough with this! I don't care what you think about me and how I live my undead life. So if you please, either work with me or collect dust." _Suddenly Ichigo came at her and their Zanpaktous clashed. Hoshiko was surprised when she felt her reiatsu flare,

_**When you made a deal with Soul Society, you made a deal for me as well. When this is completed, I get what I want as well. I just don't want you to be derailed in other directions that compromise things. **__"I know that and despite our rocky connection, I keep my promises to you. So I ask you to please work with me." _Within moments, Hoshiko felt a difference in her abilities. Easily she was able to regain her stance and knocked Ichigo off of her. _**Don't disappoint me…**_

"Yomigaeri, Izanami," Ichigo watched as Hoshiko released her Zanpaktou, the double scythe now shimmered in the sun's light.

"It worked." Ichigo smiled, "I guess I can stop going easy on you now."

"Sure you want to do that? Izanami still doesn't play nice with others." Hoshiko smirked as she twirled her Zanpaktou back and forth between her hands.

"Then we make this more interesting," Ichigo changed his stance and Hoshiko recognized it as him getting ready to Bankai. Within moments she watched the black aura take him over and reveal his Bankai form.

"How is that fair, I can't Bankai?" she asked

"Then you'll have to find another way to match me." He shunpoed and brought his Zanpaktou full force at her but she blocked it and fought against the pressure. _**He wants to fight you at full power like Grimmjow did. I give the boy some credit, he likes a challenge. **__"So I'll give him a challenge." _Hoshiko pushed Ichigo away and placed her hand to the side of her face. With a smirk Ichigo did the same. First he watched her as her stance changed and her reiatsu flared. Smoke started to surround them; her right hand erupted into a flame matching her reiatsu just as Ichigo started to pull on his Hollow mask. Black reiatsu surround them adding to the smoke. Hoshiko ran her hand over her face and soon replaced it with her skull mask. Once again her hair turned to flames that danced widely in the air.

"Now the real fight begins." Hoshiko said in a more demonic voice as her eyes glowed blue. Ichigo stared at her intently as his now golden eyes glimmered with excitement.


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Ichigo was speechless, within an hour he was now the one breathing heavily. With Hoshiko able to Shikai, her power was fierce and untamed. Watching her closely he couldn't stop looking at her mask; the Hades mask reminded him so much of his own mask, but it was different, darker both in color and nature. Slowly flaming blue eyes met his golden ones. Using all his strength, he shunpoed directly in front of Hoshiko attempting to strike, but she raised Izanami to block the attack. Easily Hoshiko knocked him off, but as she did she was surprised when a sudden burst of energy erupted from Zangetsu. Having to reflect it, she didn't sense Ichigo's presence behind her until she felt another burst of energy hit her from behind. This one hit her on contact and caused her to stagger to her feet. Surprisingly Ichigo advanced on her, for once he ignored the fact that she was his girlfriend and attacked her like an opponent. He shoved her blade away and shunpoed to her right, he was aiming for a blind spot. She shunpoed in the back of him and brought Izanami crashing down only to be blocked as Ichigo moved his Zanpaktou to the back of him. He turned around and used his spiritual energy to knock Hoshiko into a rock. Her body bounced back and just as she was falling to the ground, Ichigo was about to shunpo to catch her, but she stabbed Izanami into the ground to stop herself. She was breathing hard; Ichigo could hear and see her smoke filled gasps through her mask. Standing up, she steadied herself and went into a defensive stance. Ichigo did the same and went in for an attack. Running towards her, his mask suddenly broke. His eyes widened and he looked at Hoshiko who just relaxed and slowly returned Izanami back to its normal form. Soon her own mask was burned away in blue flames.

"Good job Ichigo. You did really well. And you increased your time by thirteen seconds." Hoshiko stated. She was walking towards him when he raised his hand to his face. He was trying to bring back his Hollow mask, "Ichigo, I think we're done for the day."

"I can still fight." Ichigo replied as black reiatsu covered his face

"But we don't need to anymore. You increased your time and I was able to release Izanami. Task accomplished for today." She commented

"I didn't just come here for you, I came to improve myself as well." He stated, "I need to get stronger."

"And you will, but exhausting yourself is not going to do it." Hoshiko replied, "What's come over you suddenly?"

"You can Shikai again," Ichigo paused

"And?" she asked confused

"You'll want to fight Grimmjow and the other Espada again." He replied

"That's my job, what's wrong with that?" she still didn't understand what the issue was. She was a Shinigami and at the moment her job was to protect Ichigo and fight the enemy by any means necessary.

"I can't let you fight Grimmjow again." Ichigo said, Hoshiko looked at him oddly

"We've had this talk already Ichigo, I'm a Shinigami and protecting you is my job. I hav…."

"This time I'm serious!" he suddenly interrupted her, "I can't let _that_ happen again. If I had been seconds too late, he would have killed you and Rukia. I won't let you deal with any of them, even if I have to get stronger than you to do it." Hoshiko watched him closely; even now her fight with Grimmjow still bothered him. He wanted to protect _her_ and fight her battles for. He even wanted to prove himself by becoming stronger than her. _If only you knew you are stronger than me in so many ways,_ she thought. Ichigo could express his feelings without fear and would fight for the person that he…...loved. _Urahara was right, Ichigo was in love with….no it can't be. I can't be loved by anyone. He's a kid what does he know about love. It's his hormones talking. _Hoshiko was panicking at the thought of being loved, but what really scared her was the slow realization that she…

"No! Ichigo you can't protect me. It's not your job."Hoshiko suddenly said

_**Maybe you should tell him protecting you is useless, in the end it would have been a waste of time and energy. Your deal with Soul society is already written in stone.**_ She heard Izanami's voice ring through her head but she ignored it.

"I made it my job the moment you said you'd be my girlfriend. I know things are weird right now and I don't even know if you're still my girlfriend, but I know that I'm not making you risk your life for me. Your life means too much to me. Even if you're not my girlfriend, I still care about you. These feelings I have are real and I can't ignore them. It's like all I do is think about you—I worry if you're alright when I'm not with you, I worry that the minute I take my eyes off of you it will be the last time I see you. No one has ever made me feel like this and I don't want it to end. I want to be there for you no matter what. And if that means you love someone, then I do…I'm falling in love with you." Ichigo stated, his hand fell to his side and his Bankai faded away. Hoshiko felt a mix of emotions flowing through her, she was happy that he was falling in love with her, she was mad he was falling in love with her, but most of all she was scared that she was falling in love with him. It made Renji and Urahara right about her feelings but she just didn't want to go through pain again.

_**Then tell him you don't love him. You know I'm right, I was right about him loving you and now you fell into love's entrapment as well. But you of people know the best way to fall out of love is through pain. Tell him you want nothing to do with him and he'll be too hurt to be around you. **_Once again Izanami gave her advice, but Hoshiko couldn't follow it, she couldn't hurt Ichigo. She knew what the pain of rejection felt like. And he didn't deserve it. He was too good to have that happen to him.

"I can't….I can't hurt you." Hoshiko said as tears threaten to come down, she lifted her hand to her eyes. Tears, it had been so long since she cried, she didn't even know she still could. But he was bringing tears to her eyes. She turned around to leave but in seconds she felt his hand wrap around her wrist. Looking at him she could see the hurt in his eyes. _**Remind you of something?**_ Izanami asked as Hoshiko saw what she was referring to. Centuries ago she was Ichigo trying to understand love and be loved. But she was _him_ and refusing love now. Hoshiko forced her hand out of his grip and shunpoed away leaving Ichigo feeling as if he had done the wrong thing talking to her. Hoshiko needed to think and she needed someone to talk to and she knew who the best person was at this moment.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

It was around ten when Urahara heard someone enter the shop; he was already sitting at his table as he had some ideas who would visit him at this hour. He thought of Renji, Ichigo, Yorichi or Ikkaku hungry again. When he saw Hoshiko walk in, he was _somewhat_ surprised. She slowly sat down across from him and stared at the tea pot.

"Twice in one day huh? I should start charging for my services." Urahara teased as he poured her a cup of tea

"Mind adding some Saki to the tea?" Hoshiko mumbled

"Long day? I found Ichigo alone in the training grounds, he said you connected with Izanami and was able to Shikai. I expected you to be happy about this, yet your expression tells me otherwise. What's wrong?" He asked

"He's in love with me…." She replied

"Did you tell him you love him?" he asked drinking his own tea

"I can't. I don't know even know how." She replied staring at her cup

"It's three little words Hoshiko." Urahara said

"No it's not. Saying I hate you is much easier, this….this requires strength I don't have. I could never be what Ichigo needs—he should be with someone who is human, loving, caring, strong, beautiful and intelligent. I'm just an expendable asset to Soul Society." Hoshiko disagreed

"Through all the time that I have known about you, the first thing that came to mind when I heard about you was a girl that was heavenly broken—you have witnessed the beauty of love and all its riches, then had it ripped out beneath your feet. But maybe, Ichigo is the one to put you back together. You're right hating is easy, but love takes courage. I believe you have that courage Hoshiko. If you don't let someone in, _he'll _always keep you broken." He said, she looked up at him and sighed, "Talk to Ichigo,"

"What if he hurts me or worse I hurt him… I could never live knowing I caused Ichigo pain." Hoshiko said

"Then don't." he replied, it took her a few moments before she stood up

"Thank you Urahara." She said before she left the room and walked out of the shop

"Never thought I see the day that love counselor would be one of my daily jobs." Urahara laughed, "Now that she's gone, how can I help you Renji?" he felt him standing behind one of the sliding doors. He wondered why Hoshiko didn't notice him, perhaps she was too concerned with Ichigo or just didn't feel him.

"Is she alright?" Renji asked leaning against the wall

"She will be. The better question is are you alright?'Urahara asked in return

"I'm fine." Renji replied, "She loves him, not much I can do except deal with it." Urahara turned to watch him leave the room and slide the door behind him. He sighed; just a few nights ago Renji had the same conversation with him about Hoshiko and told him to tell her how he felt. But obviously that didn't go so well. Hopefully he gave Hoshiko the right advice. Unlike Renji she would come back and tell him he was wrong with her fists doing most of the talking.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-one

After talking with Urahara, Hoshiko decided to follow his advice and talk with Ichigo. She had to face her fears and right now Ichigo represented her fear of love. She stood outside his window and was happy that he hadn't locked it. She figured with so many people barging into his room all the time it was better to just leave it opened. Slowly she lifted it and poked her head inside. Looking around the dark room she found Ichigo laying on his bed. Hoshiko wondered if he was awake or if she should even wake him. She stuck her leg through the window and fully stepped into his room. Walking over to him she looked him over—he was lying on his back with the sheets sliding down his waist revealing the black pajama pants he was wearing. She tried not to focus on his bare chest, but every time she glanced at his face her eyes would lower. Sighing Hoshiko sat on Ichigo's desk and thought things over. If he was asleep how could she wake him up to tell him how she felt? But could she still have this courage when morning came? She continued to watch him sleep. She couldn't help being attracted to him; he was bringing out a side in her she thought was dead. Ichigo showed her love and asked for nothing in return, she was still waiting for him to hurt her, prove her right. But he did nothing of the sort. She wanted to trust him and let him break down whatever walls she had up. But the thought of him hurting her like everyone else was the only thing that could still scare her. Sighing, she was disappointed by herself; she was suppose to never let someone in, being cold and alone was something she had grown adapted to over the past centuries, but back in Soul Society Ichigo wasn't there to compromise that. Perhaps now wasn't the best time to tell him after all. Maybe him being asleep was a sign not to tell him. Slowly she stood up and was about to leave when,

"Are you just going to watch me as I sleep all night or did you come here to talk?" Ichigo stated as he opened his eyes and slowly pushed the covers off his body. Hoshiko watched as the material fell and his upper body was fully revealed. For some reason her skin became flushed, she had to look down for a moment. _Stop acting like a school girl_, she told herself.

"Ichigo, I'm sorry to interrupt your sleep. I just….I," Hoshiko began

"I don't need a reason for you to sneak into my room late at night, especially if you want to talk to me." He interrupted. Swinging his legs over the bed, he now sat up and watched her carefully, she was wearing dark denim jeans, a blue track jacket and her hair was in a high ponytail with strings of hair hanging down in the front.

"I just came here to see if you were alright." She said, "And since you are I'll let you get back to sleep." As she was leaving, Ichigo stood and grabbed her hand

"I don't know what I could have done that would make you think I would judge you. You could tell me your deepest dark secrets and I could never look at you differently. I don't judge, I can't judge because I'm not perfect, no one is." Ichigo stated holding her hand firmly

"You say that now, but I bet I could give you a million reasons, to judge me." Hoshiko tried to laugh to calm her nerves

"Try me." Slowly he led her to his bed and sat down with her. Waiting patiently for her to tell him anything

"….I'm not a good person; I've killed not just Hollows, but Shinigami alike. I tried to kill my Taichou after I took off his fiancé's head." She hoped Ichigo was disgusted by her like the rest and would tell her to leave. But, what he said shocked her,

"If that's supposed to scare me, try again. I believe there is more to that story than that. I doubt you're a ruthless killer, I've seen the scars on your body, somehow I feel you've had your share of torment and you're scared I'll look at you differently if you tell me the truth." Ichigo never released her hand and he looked her in the eyes.

"Every scar on my body has a different story I'm not proud of." She stated

"Well let's start with this one." Ichigo said as he pointed to the visible scar on her hand

"The first time I released Izanami, she burned my hands because she hated me. At first I wasn't worthy to wield her, than after….I proved myself worthy, she allowed me to command her." Hoshiko replied

"What about the scars on your back I saw?" he continued

"Before I came to Soul Society, I was a peasant in the roughest part of Rukongai. The scars are from….a Shinigami that used me like punching bag on his late night trips to town. He was the first Shinigami I killed." Ichigo felt a knot roll in his stomach at the thought of a man putting their hand on Hoshiko. Anger was slowly raking over him, but he calm down as he felt her hand shaking; Ichigo knew he hit a soft spot on that one. He held her hand tightly and reached over to grab the other with his free hand.

"You don't have to tell anything you don't want to. I'm just here to listen," he said as he rolled off the bed and kneeled in front of her. She had her head down for a few moments as memories ran through her. Hoshiko gritted her teeth as she forced her memories back into the grave she buried them in. She knew she had to tell him what she came here for before the wall went back up,

"Ichigo….I'm sorry I scared you before. I know it bothers you when I risk my life to protect you. But it's something that is becoming a want more than a need for me. Before it was my job to protect you, but during the fight with Grimmjow I realized that I didn't need to protect you, I wanted to protect you." Hoshiko explained, "I love you Ichigo…you were scared about losing me, when I nearly lost it at the thought of Grimmjow killing you. I know hating is easy, but love takes courage. And you give me that courage. You make me feel like its okay to be scared and strong at the same time. I know you just want to love me and it's something that I shouldn't fight." Ichigo looked at her closely, he was speechless. Locking her eyes with his, he smiled and freed a hand to caress her face; he brushed his thumb across her cheek and Hoshiko blushed as he slowly moved in, pressing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. He waited for her to pull back, but she surprised him when she used her free hand crept up to the back of his neck and held onto him. Soon Ichigo's hand was running through her hair and gently held her still as he explored her mouth. He took the lead, deepening the kiss between them, her lips parted, granting him the access he desired. Ichigo pulled away for a moment to give her a second to breathe and then kissed her again. Slowly he rose up from the floor and leaned into her bringing her down on the bed. He was careful not to put all his body weight on her; he placed his knees on either side of her and leaned down to her. Hoshiko watched him closely as he placed a hand behind her head and slid his fingers into the rubber band holding her hair tightly. Pulling it away, her hair rushed out of it and cascaded around the sheets. Ichigo brushed a few strands away and examined her face.

"You're blushing." He commented noticing the growing tint in her cheeks.

"You're staring at me." She replied looking away from him. He used a finger to bring her attention back to him,

"I can't help it. You're beautiful beyond words." Ichigo stated

"How can you say that so easily? My scars make me hideous, their disgusting." Hoshiko commented

"Last I checked, beauty was in the eye of the beholder. And in my eyes all I see is beauty." He said

"You haven't seen them all." She whispered. He looked her over before raising a hand to the zipper of her jacket.

"Then show me the rest." Ichigo whispered as he slowly started pulling down on the zipper. Inch by inch more of her skin was revealed. He looked into her eyes waiting to see if she would say stop, but she just stared back at him. Glancing down he saw the black t-shirt underneath and now her chain was shinning from the light of the moon coming through the window, "Hope?" he asked

"A joke from Urahara when he created the chain for me." Hoshiko replied

"Maybe it's not a joke." He said truth was he wanted to be her hope and show her love. When the zipper was down Ichigo pushed the jacket open and ran his hand over her stomach. He found a scar peeking out from under her shirt, gently rising the material up he found that it covered most of her belly button. Hoshiko shivered as his fingers continued to caress her skin, "May I?" she realized he was gesturing to the clothes that stopped him from seeing all her scars. She figured she might as well show him, so she propped herself up on her elbows and he pushed the jacket off her shoulders then helped her slide her arms out of it. Ichigo's eyes found the other scars that he had seen before but now he was able to examine them fully. Hoshiko's shoulders and arms were covered with small scars. He noticed a scar around her neck that looked like it traveled down to her chest. She realized what he was looking at and instantly froze up; Ichigo didn't want her to draw back when things were going so well.

"You don't have to show it to me if you don't want to." He assured her

"It's one of the biggest scars I have and has the most pain attached to it." Hoshiko stated

"I'd like to see it, if you'll show me." Ichigo said, slowly she relaxed and raised her arms above her head. He brought his hand to her shirt and lifted it above her head. When it was off she placed her hand over her heart and allowed him to see how far the scar traveled. From her neck he followed the line down to her side. This had to be from a sword, Ichigo wondered how it happened but he would wait for her to tell him. The thought of someone running a sword down her chest horrified him. Once again he calmed himself as a wave of anger swept over him. Hoshiko was looking at him, waiting for him to grimace even the slightest bit. She still held her hand to her heart and now Ichigo was curious why, "What's wrong?"

"It's another scar that holds a painful memory." She replied, slowly he place a hand on top of hers and pulled it away to reveal what looked like a burn mark over her heart. His eyes widened at the sight, "Lighting was shot through my chest, an almost direct hit to my heart. He missed by a few centimeters."

"He?" Ichigo asked wanting to know the _he_ she referred to.

"My former Taichou." Hoshiko replied waiting for him look disappointed. But what he did next startled her. Ichigo leaned down and kissed the scar on her neck then followed the trail down to her chest. His nose brushed against the lace of her black bra as he continued kissing down to her side where the scar ended. He ran his lips over the scar over her heart then came face to face with her.

"You're still beautiful." Ichigo stated looking her in the eyes, "I don't think you're ugly for having these scars, I think the people who gave them to you are hideous for putting them on you. Seeing them only makes me love you more, every one of them has a story that makes you one of the strongest people I have ever known." Hoshiko never blinked as she felt water filling in her eyes. Her vision of him was becoming blurry as tears rolled down. For the first time in centuries she was wanted and felt loved.

"I'm not supposed to cry." Hoshiko said as she closed her eyes, Ichigo smiled as he brought a hand up to her face and wiped away her tears.

"It's okay." He replied as he looked down at her then slowly brought his lips to hers. He moved his hand slowly up her arm and to her neck. As their tongues intertwined Ichigo made a slight move to part her legs and rest between them. Slowly running his hands down her waist he wrapped her legs around his waist. Hoshiko pulled away from him for a second and watched him closely, want was now clearly written on his face; there was no doubt he wanted her.

"Ichigo….." she paused

"Do you want me to?" Ichigo asked as he stilled his movements. A part of her wanted to say they should stop but the other side wanted him.

"No I don't….I want you to love me." Hoshiko replied. He leaned in close and licked her bottom lip asking for entrance again. She reached up and ran her hands through his hair, forcing his head upwards so she could move and trail kisses along his neck. Ichigo quietly groaned into her mouth, he wasn't sure what he was doing but his body was in charge of his movements. He started running a free hand up and down her stomach teasingly. He smiled when he felt her stomach muscles clench and tremble, "You heart is pounding."

"Adrenaline and hormones I think." He replied, "Still figuring out what to do here."

"Let me show you." She said as he suddenly rose up taking her with him, he turned around and lied down on the bed allowing her to straddle his waist. Hoshiko continued to kiss him and run her hands through his hair. She was aware Ichigo was a virgin by how easily his bold actions had faded and he was unsure and wanted her to do as she pleased. As she was looking down at Ichigo memories reentered her mind and forced her to stop her movements. His image was replaced with another, she remembered _him_ looking lovingly at her like this right before he….

Ichigo's hands were on her jeans about to unbutton them but she grabbed his hands to stop him, "Hoshiko?" Ichigo asked

"I can't." Hoshiko said still seeing someone else's face in front of her, "I can't do this." Ichigo was confused as she couldn't even look him in the eyes. Did he do something wrong? Did he push things too far?

"Did I…."

"No…I just, I just need to stop." She crawled off of him and backed away from the bed. Blinking her eyes furiously, she could still see _his_ face staring back at her. She didn't want to panic, but her heart was starting to pound.

"What's wrong Hoshiko?" he asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, I did." Hoshiko replied, Ichigo was about to say something when they heard the door knob turn. Turning to Hoshiko, he was surprised to see her gone and her shirt and jacket with her. Rushing to the window, he caught a glimpse of her shadow already down the street.

"Ichigo?"Rukia asked, "You okay?" she entered the room and dropped her things on his desk

"I'm fine." Ichigo replied still looking out the window. _What happened?_ he wondered. He was careful not to turn around to quickly, it was dark in his room but Rukia would clearly see _what_ was bothering him by the sight of his pajama pants. His body was focused on the lack of having Hoshiko straddled to his waist while his mind wondered was she okay.

"You sure? You seem weird, did you have a nightmare." Rukia teased

"Funny." He mumbled, "What brings you here so late? I thought you were staying at Orihime's apartment."

"I was but her and Masumoto started doing makeovers so I decided to come back while I still had my eyebrows." She replied

"How are they?" Ichigo asked as he walked over to his bed never turning around he just dropped on his bed and laid on his stomach. He barely heard her reply as he could still smell Hoshiko in the sheets.

"Their fine…"she replied as thoughts of talking with Orihime came to mind, she sighed and proceeded to get ready for bed. Ichigo just watched his curtains flow in the wind as he wondered if Hoshiko would talk to him tomorrow or shut him out again. Hopefully she would tell him what he did wrong and they could continue to move forward. He was happy she opened up to him and admitted that she loved him too. Now the challenge was getting her to be comfortable with being in love.


	23. Apology

My apologies for not updating for like how many months? School started for me, I started working as a tutor and my math teacher is obsessed with getting me to like math since I told him I hated it and in the nicest way possible said if math were a physical being I would run it over with a car after beating it with my shoe and leave it in the desert to dry up into a pile of ash. Sorry I really _hate_ math, stay away from probability and statistics it is an unseen crime. Excuse my babbling, anyway I wrote six chapters while no one was at work and I'm working on the last two chapters for this part of the story. Then I will start working on part 2 which will basically be a back story centered around the life of Hoshiko in Soul Society and the _he _of course ^_^. Ohh yeah I revealed the _he _in this update… ..sorry to leave the _he _nameless for so long, I kind of wanted it to be a suspense thing.

Also I wanted to thank all the people who reviewed and favored the story; I felt so bad not being able to update sooner but hopefully you guys like it.


	24. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

The next day Hoshiko was feeling confused about what happened last night—she was happy she told Ichigo she loved him, but she was also embarrassed about the other things that happened. She sighed to herself as the thought of sleeping with Ichigo crossed her mind. She knew she should be happy that she didn't, but deep down she wanted him. And the look in his eyes only made it harder for her to run out of his room. The moment was right, but she couldn't do it…._he _wouldn't allow it. Even after so many centuries, he still had the power to keep any man from touching her. _Bastard_, Hoshiko thought as she continued on a quest to find Ikkaku. Even though she and Izanami were connected again, she figured talking with him wouldn't hurt. She stopped by Urahara first and he told her were to find the bald Shinigami. Wind shuffled her hair and clothes as she looked up to the skies. Fall was approaching, it would get colder and winter would be here in no time along with the winter war. She wrapped her arms around herself as the wind continued to mess with her hair and now assaulted her skirt. _Perverted wind, the one day I decided to wear a skirt you get fresh with me,_ she thought. Entering the park, she looked around and sure enough Ikkaku and the rest of the group were meditating. Hoshiko figured with the war approaching, everyone needed to be in sync with their Zanpaktou and ready for anything.

"Hoshiko," she turned as her names was called, "Don't you almost look like a lady today, what's the occasion?" it was Yumichika. She smiled as he looked her over, she wasn't sure if she should take the comment as a compliment or an insult. But then again she was wearing a medium length gray skirt, white shirt, black button up sweater and black flats which were very different for her. Hoshiko wasn't sure why, but today she wanted to look nice.

_**That's what love does to you. You want to look good for him; it's quite a sad sight actually. It's just a waste of time if you ask me. **_Hoshiko ignored Izanami's statement, after last night Izanami had made her opinions clear.

"Thank you Yumichika," Hoshiko stated with a half smile, "Am I interrupted anything? I need to talk with baldy."

"He's over there," he pointed towards a tall tree; she turned and found him meditating under it, "He figured you would talk to him today, we all have been bothering him with questions about our Zanpaktous."

"Thank Yumichika." Hoshiko said as she walked towards the tree. As she was walking she noticed the looks Masumoto was giving her

"Well, looks like you're finally growing a pair. Or is this what human's call stuffing a bra." The Fuku-Taichou commented as she walked up to her. Hoshiko started to grind her teeth as she tried to ignore her comment. From as long as she had known the busty woman, she had made it her agenda to get under her skin and annoy her. Sure she wasn't the biggest girl on the block, but at least her breast didn't have an area code.

"I'm not trying to getting into anything with you Masumoto. It's useless and pity." Hoshiko replied

"I'm not getting into anything with you either; I just wanted to have a little girl chat." Masumoto stated as she grabbed Hoshiko's hand and pulled her to the side. Hoshiko didn't know what to expect, Masumoto was standing in front of her with a not so pleasant expression, the last time they stood like this, Izanami was around Masumoto's neck and Hineko was pressed to her stomach.

"What do you want to talk about Masumoto? I came here to talk with Ikkaku," Hoshiko sighed

"Why are you doing this?" Masumoto blurted out, Hoshiko's attitude was slowly making a change as the friendly affect the clothes had on her was slowly fading away

"What are you talking about busty?" Hoshiko asked in return

"Ichigo….why do you still pursue him knowing it's useless. You're wasting his time and hurting the girl that does love him. You could never love Ichigo," Now Hoshiko's temper flared faster than she would have liked it to,

"I would hate to deflate you in front of your Taichou," Hoshiko paused as she stepped closer to Masumoto, "You don't know anything about me or my love for Ichigo. I'm in love with him and to me that's all that matters. You and the rest of them can…."

"I know Orihime loves Ichigo and your standing in the way of that. Last night she cried because of you, she wants to be with Ichigo but you're the only thing he sees right now. I don't understand how he could love you, a monster."

"I'm not a monster." Hoshiko spat at her

"Only a monster would kill innocent people and try to take the head of the man they say they love. I was there remember," Masumoto spat back

"I remember nearly taking off your head. I almost wish they hadn't have stopped me."

"I don't care how you feel about me, but let's be realistic Ichigo doesn't deserve to be hurt by the likes of you. He didn't do anything wrong, except fall for you. Your only here for yourself, whatever Soul Society promised you doesn't include Ichigo. So when this is over he'll be alone, without you and only have regret for loving the unlovable. Orihime truly loves him and would do anything for him. Her love has no boundaries. She is a good girl and deserves to be loved. Unlike you, she wouldn't disappear at the end." Masumoto waited for the woman to explode on her, but what happened surprised her. Hoshiko just stared at her, she had hit a nerve and waves were crashing in Hoshiko's mind. Opening her mouth to say something, Hoshiko was cut off,

"….Masumoto, you have said enough." Hitsugaya Taichou now stood next to the two women and narrowed his eyes at Masumoto.

"Gomennasai Taichou." Masumoto said slightly embarrassed that he heard what she said. She knew she shouldn't interfere, but hearing Orihime cry at night because of Hoshiko was becoming too much for her. She knew Ichigo loved her, but Hoshiko would only hurt him in the end. Orihime loved him and he needed to know that.

"Don't apologize to me," Hitsugaya replied

"I don't need her apology," Hoshiko stated as she walked away from the two. She could care less what Masumoto had to say to her,

_**Then why do you feel hurt my them? Is it because deep down, she told you the truth? Or is it because realization is slowly sinking in? **__"I don't want to hear your mouth right now." _Hoshiko thought heading towards the tree Ikkaku was still sitting under. When she reached him a smirk suddenly plastered over his face.

"I've been waiting for you Wairudo." Ikkaku commented, Hoshiko clutched her fights together as she didn't want to hit him when she was still angry. She would hate for him to get the beating that was meant for Masumoto, "Looks like the skirt comes complete with a ladylike attitude, by now you would be beating me senseless for calling you Wairudo."

"I need to talk with you," Hoshiko stated as she kneeled down and sat on her knees facing him, "About Zanpaktous."

"I did hear from the others that your connection with Izanami has been off lately. I actually have been waiting for you to talk with me." He said as he placed Hōzukimaru in the middle of them, "You've met Hōzukimaru already."

"Lazy bastard right?" Hoshiko asked

"Yeah, but he's my lazy bastard." Ikkaku replied

"Perfect pair." She smiled

"Insults today?" he smirked

"Figured since I don't want to hit you, I'd use my second weapon of choice." Hoshiko smirked back, Ikkaku smiled slowly; she always did have a quick tongue. He too missed the old days, but he would keep his memories to himself.

"I'll just ignore them….let's begin. First basics, do you know what Izanami is?" Ikkaku asked

"A Zanpaktou." She replied

"Physically yes, but she is more than that. Each Zanpaktou is a manifestation of its owner's soul, Izanami is not just your Zanpaktou she is your soul. A Zanpaktou is part of its owner's soul, instead of being considered your weapon she should be your partner in battle." He corrected her

"We're not alike—you know that for yourself, the only reason I can wield her is because I'm the only person crazy enough to do so. Anyone else would have gave up on her or gone crazy." Hoshiko commented

"The two of you were placed together for a reason; you're more alike than you think. You should know that a Zanpaktou is a being all by itself and like anyone it can be temperamental. Its mood is determined by how it is treated by its Shinigami." She sighed; Ikkaku didn't know everything about Izanami, so he was trying to make her seem like a misunderstood soul. But misunderstood was far from what she was.

"She has a dark soul..." she started

"Like you. Two dark souls connected, for a greater purpose. Together, you can create light and find a way out of darkness." Ikkaku interrupted her

"Going all Buda on me I see." Hoshiko looked at him oddly

"The Zanpaktou and the Shinigami are synonymous to each other. The spirit of a Zanpaktou dwells within an internal world, mostly the wielder's soul and mind. You share everything, pain, happiness, sorrow, despair....she knows what you truly feel before you do. I think it's because they have had their share of pain and happiness, so they understand what you are feeling." He continued

"Is it true a Zanpaktou has a life before being wield by you?" she asked

"Yes. All of them do, that creates their unique personalities from past experiences." Ikkaku replied

"I've never talked to Izanami about her past. She's so angry; I always thought she was just mad at me." Hoshiko stated

"Meditate with her, talk with her." He suggested

"She doesn't talk to me unless it's to criticize me." She said

_**You got that right, **_Hoshiko heard Izanami's voice linger in her head, _Why are always so pissed at me? First you hated me, then....when I was hurt you released yourself to help me kill. I never even learned your name until after being imprisoned. Everything about you is a mystery to me. __**Does it matter what you know? I helped you and I continue to do so even when you don't want my help. **_Hoshiko sighed, _I want to know about you. You're my Zanpaktou and I take responsibility for you, I only know you're the Goddess of Death and you give me the power of Hades to fight. __** I lend those powers to you; you could never truly grasp the real power I could give you. The power I could give you would make even Ichigo run and hide. I'm not like other Zanpaktous, that's why Soul Society sealed me away for so long. How you got me, still astounds me. A mere servant turned Shinigami. **__Izanami, if you truly are a part of my soul, then we are one in the same. What happened to you? What caused you misery? _Hoshiko waited for her to reply when she didn't she thought a nerve was hit. Perhaps Ikkaku was right, they were the same and something or someone hurt Izanami and caused her to be hateful.

"She shut you again." Ikkaku commented

"She's holding something back from me." Hoshiko said__

"She's holding a lot back from you, but she has reason." She looked at him wide eyed

"You know what happened to her?" she asked

"I know some things, but it's your job to find them out for yourself." He replied

"Tell me what you know. I need to understand why she is angry and cruel." Hoshiko said

_**Me? Maybe it's because you're not exactly kind yourself. Personally I never thought you could be cruel enough steal another woman's man, I admit that surprises me. I wonder… are you going to take her head off too? **_Hoshiko dropped her shoulders at the remark. How cruel she could be when she wanted to. Trying to ignore the comment, she turned to Ikkaku. He was still mediating with Hōzukimaru. She envied their connection, she wished Izanami and she could communicate without arguing. Suddenly Ikkaku's eyes opened and he looked around the park. Something in the wind caught his attention.

"What's wrong?" she asked

"….You tell me." Hoshiko wondered what he meant, but soon she felt a strong pressure weighing down on her. The pressure belonged to Hollows, Espada. She stood up and looked around; sure enough a black hole was opening above them. Hoshiko recognized the big one from before when she cut off his arm, he was looking right at her and he had a murderous expression on his face. Looking further in the group she found a new Arrancar or Espada that she had never seen before, but her attention was drawn away by the feeling of teal eyes burning into her. _Grimmjow_, she thought as the Sixth Espada stared dangerously at her. His eyes were roaming over her, as if summing her up. Ikkaku and the others released their souls and prepared themselves. Hoshiko did the same and now stood next to Ikkaku. She waited for Grimmjow to make a move; she knew he would want another chance at her head, the look on his face made it clear their fight wasn't over. But he suddenly smirked and flashed away. Hoshiko's eyes widened, where did he go? Why would he show up and then disappear? Glancing around she wondered if he was trying to sneak around her, but then she felt a decrease in his presence. He was moving away from her. Where was going? Her eyes suddenly widened, Ichigo. Hoshiko tried to shunpo after him, but Yami cut her off. She had to jump back as his blade tried to slice her in two.

"I've been looking for you bitch. Don't think I forgot what you did to my arm," He groaned, Hoshiko tried to think of a way around him. But apparently he was determined to fight her. She noticed that the others were already fighting, "Don't pay attention to them. They have Luppi to worry about, I'm your problem." Hoshiko took a defensive stance,

"Yomigaeri, Izanami," Now holding the scythe, she prepared to fight, "This time I'll take off more than your arm."

_**~On the other side of town~**_

Grimmjow Jaggerjack stood in the skies as he waited for Ichigo to show himself—it wasn't that he didn't want to fight the woman, but Aizen would have his head if he laid a hand on pretty little head. But he didn't say he couldn't defend himself if she attacked him. Grimmjow figured if he drew the boy out and fought with him long enough, she would interfere and they could finish what they started. He should have blown her head off when he had the chance, he still couldn't understand why he didn't before, but that mistake wouldn't happen again. He had to kill her, she was becoming a problem; night after night thoughts of her putting a scar on him plagued his mind. Every time he looked at his chest he would be reminded that it was her that had the power to hurt him.

"Looking for me?" Grimmjow turned to find his "bait" approaching him; the boy already had his Zanpaktou withdrawn and was ready to fight. Suddenly the wind blew and Grimmjow's expression turned bitter.

"So you finally got in her pants?" Grimmjow laughed as Ichigo narrowed his eyes at him

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked

"I can smell her scent on you." he replied as his nostrils flared

"You smell people? You might what to get that checked out," Ichigo stated, "It's none of your business anyway."

"So you didn't hit it. What happen, she realize she needed a man for the job? Or she saw your stuff and said she could do better?" Grimmjow smirked

"I didn't come here to talk pervert." Ichigo groaned

"If it were me, I'd take her from the back. I mean she may not have the biggest breast in town, but she sure has a sweet ass and some sexy legs. Bet they look great wrapped around my neck." Grimmjow was provoking Ichigo, he wanted the boy mad, "I think I'll just put a bag over her skull face…." He barely had enough time to pull out his Zanpaktou and block Ichigo's attack. He smiled evilly, he hit the right nerve.

"Don't you ever talk about her like that!" Ichigo narrowed his eyes at him as he continued to attack him

"Afraid of another man touching her?" Grimmjow laughed as he pushed him away, "I'm not the one you should worry about." He was right, he couldn't even begin to imagine what Aizen wanted with her, he just knew if he wanted her unharmed it couldn't be good. Ichigo ignored his comment and proceeded to Bankai. Within seconds he held is hand to his face and brought fort his Hollow mask.

"You're not going to hurt her again; I'll kill you before that happens." Ichigo stated

Grimmjow had a grin on his face as he raised his Zanpaktou, "Then let's rock, boy!"

_**~Back at the park~**_

Everyone had been fighting for hours—Hitsugaya Taichou was overwhelmed by Luppi, Masumoto, Ikkaku and Yumichika were trying to take him down now. Hoshiko wanted to help them, but Yami was surprisingly becoming a problem to take down. So far the only thing she could do was play the defensive role, every time she would attack he would only came back harder.

"Are you the same bitch that took my arm off?" Yami laughed, "I thought you would give me a fight, but right now all you're doing is making me laugh." Hoshiko gritted her teeth as she shunpoed in front of him and crashed Izanami down on his Zanpaktou. She was angry; this big piece of shit was keeping her away from finding Grimmjow. She knew he was fighting with Ichigo, she felt both of their reiastus close by.

"You're starting to piss me off! If you don't get out of my way I'll take your head off." She yelled

"Don't make me laugh any harder." They continued to fight and soon Yami clutched his fist and punched her to the ground. Rubble formed where she landed as a hole was created. Hoshiko groaned as she stumbled to her feet. _What the hell is going on? How is he kicking my ass? _She thought as Yami looked down at her with an evil grin. _**It's because you've gotten soft, even the big idiot knows your different from when you first met. But that's what emotion and love does to you. When you first arrived you were focused on doing one thing, killing whatever stood in your way. Now all you care about is Ichigo. **_ Izanami sighed as Hoshiko closed her eyes in frustration. She was right; Ichigo was plaguing her thoughts even as Yami threatened to kill her. Before nothing mattered, now he was all that mattered. Yami didn't want to wait anymore; he wanted to hurt her for taking his arm off. He didn't care about Aizen's warnings at the moment. He would say she had an "accident" if he went too far and killed her. He flashed in front of her and brought his Zanpaktou down to crush her, but as he did he felt another Zanpaktou blocking the attack.

"Renji?" Hoshiko gasped as he stood in front of her and used Zabimaru to shield her from Yami's attack

"What the hell are you doing? Get your head straight or he'll kill you. You're no use to Ichigo dead." Renji commented as he pushed Yami away,

"I know…." She replied going into a defensive stance

"Ichigo can take care of himself; watch your own ass right now. This guy's stupid, but he's big and has enough power to hold his own." Renji added as he retracted Zabimaru

"I'll take the both of you on." Yami yelled as he went in for the attack. Both Hoshiko and Renji shunpoed away and appeared at either side of him—Zabimaru swung at his left as Izanami crashed down on his right. Angrily he slashed his Zanpaktou in the air as if they were flies. The both of them kept using their speed against him. Renji felt a sudden flash back to times of them fighting Hollows together; when she was a rookie he would go out in the field with her and train. Whenever Hollows appeared they would take them down by doing tag team maneuvers. Since Hoshiko was unable to Shikai, he would help clear the path for her and she would occasionally ride Zabimaru through the crowds and cut through them. He glanced at her; she looked like the same love struck girl that was brave enough to ride Zabimaru. Renji sighed, she wasn't focused. He was going to help the others, but once again she nearly got her head taken off.

"Stop moving around you pest!" Yami was aiming at Renji, but Zabimaru was already swinging towards his hand and soon wrapped around the Zanpaktou.

"Now, Hoshiko!" Renji yelled as he held him in place, Hoshiko was about to crash down on Yami with Izanami's blades aimed at his head. But just inches away, he used his free hand to form a Cero blast. Hoshiko's eyes widened at the red light shining over her, "Hoshiko!" Renji released Yami's hand and swung Zabimaru upwards to wrap around her, he made sure not to make the blades touch her as he pulled her away from the blast. Hoshiko fell backwards and landed hard on the ground. Renji was distracted for a moment and Yami used the opportunity to slice him on the his stomach and chest. Blood gushed from him as he stumbled back.

"Renji!" Hoshiko rose to her feet and charged in front of his body as Yami tried to finish him off. How quickly their roles changed, now it was her turn to protect Renji. Yami raised his hand and started slamming it down over and over until Hoshiko was down to one knee. Hoshiko gritted her teeth as she tried to push him away but she couldn't. Glancing at Renji, blood was still gushing out of his wound; he was hurt seriously and needed help. He got hurt saving her.

"He should have stayed out of out fight. Stupid Shinigami, I'll kill him after I'm done with you." Yami was about to deliver the finally blow but his Zanpaktou stopped in mid swing. As Hoshiko looked to find her rescuer, she was surprised at who she found, "Ulquiorra!" Yami was shocked as well. Hoshiko was more shocked that "Ulquiorra" could stop Yami's Zanpaktou with just one hand.

"Yami," Ulquiorra stated as he lifted the blade away from Hoshiko's head, "What are you doing? Attacking her was not in your orders. Aizen-Sama would have your head for attempting to kill her."

"I wouldn't have killed her…"Yami replied, suddenly Ulquiorra backhanded him and sent him flying to the ground

"It doesn't matter what your intentions were, she is not to be touched." Ulquiorra commented, Hoshiko looked at him oddly, _what did he mean by not to touch me? _She was confused, she was the enemy, what did he care if Yami killed her.

"I'm sorry Ulquiorra." Yami groaned staggering to his feet, "But I couldn't just leave her there, Luppi is fighting the rest of those punks and Grimmjow went after the boy."

"Enough Yami, we're leaving." Ulquiorra replied

"Leaving already?" Hoshiko turned to find Urahara walking towards them, "And I just got here."

"We're not here to fight." Ulquiorra stated and he snapped his fingers and a dark hole opened up above them. Yami slowly entered the opening.

"You got lucky bitch." Yami muttered as he disappeared through the hole. Hoshiko turned to find Hitsugaya fighting with the other one and just as he nearly finished him, the Arrancar was saved by the hole formed in the back of him. He quickly jumped through it and muttered his own curses to Hitsugaya. Looking at Ulquiorra, he suddenly flashed away, Urahara kneeled down next to Renji.

"I'll take care of him, go find Ichigo. That's probably where he was headed." Urahara said, she sighed as she looked at Renji before she shunpoed away and headed towards Ichigo and Grimmjow's reiatsu. Rushing through the skies, Hoshiko was worried what was happening with Ichigo, what if Grimmjow over powered him? What if Ulquiorra found them and decided to help kill him? Shaking her head, she jumped past a few roof tops and came to a sudden stop as she found two figures in the sky fighting. Grimmjow was covered in blood—he had numerous injuries and was bleeding from his head and shoulder. Hoshiko watched intensely as Ichigo went in for the finally blow. Just as he raised his Zanpaktou, his mask broke. Hoshiko's eyes widened at the sight. She knew he was in trouble. Soon Grimmjow had an evil grin on his face and he raised his Zanpaktou to attack him. As Hoshiko rushed up towards to them Ichigo had been cut over his chest. She didn't know what she was doing but she threw herself in front of Ichigo to stop any further attacks, _**Are you crazy! Don't do this again! **_She heard Izanami yell but she ignored her and was surprised when Grimmjow stopped himself in mid swing. She watched as he gritted his teeth at her,

"Get out of my way woman! Your boyfriend's dead, so unless you want to take his place, move!" Grimmjow yelled, he wanted her to attack him, he needed her to attack him so he could slice into her. Hoshiko ignored him and saw that Ichigo had started falling backwards. Grimmjow expected her temper to flare and her skull face to appear, but what she did made him cringe. She turned around and dived down to catch Ichigo's falling body. Blood was rushing past her as she was inches away from him. With Izanami to her side, she stretched out her free hand to catch him. As they were falling she wrapped her arm around his neck,

"Ichigo!" Hoshiko cried out as his eyes were barely open, "Ichigo, stay with me!" Still she had no response, he was almost unconscious. Turning around she made her back face the ground and now she could see Grimmjow diving towards them. She quickly grasped the chain of Izanami and sent her flying up to hit him. Grimmjow had to turn as the blades nearly sliced into him. Now his back was turned as well as he had to use his Zanpaktou to stop Izanami from crashing into his stomach. The three of them were headed to the ground fast; Hoshiko still held Ichigo tightly as she would get the impact instead of him and Grimmjow wasn't far away as Izanami's blades were dragging him down with them.

"….No." Hoshiko heard Ichigo groan; he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and turned them around so he hit the ground instead. This move caused Hoshiko to swing Izanami around and in turn made Grimmjow be in the bottom and hit the ground first. Seconds later Ichigo hit the ground and Hoshiko landed on his side. She groaned as pain shot through her, but she quickly shook it off and turned to Ichigo. His breathing was rough and his eyes were closed. Sitting up, she pulled one of his arms around her shoulder and she tried to get him off the ground.

"I'm not done with him." Hoshiko turned to find Grimmjow already to his feet and his Zanpaktou gripped tightly in his hand. She narrowed her eyes at him, pulling the chain back she grabbed the handle of Izanami and prepared to fight him, "You want a go at it?"

"You shouldn't have touched him." Hoshiko said angrily as she placed Ichigo back on the ground

"The thought of me running my Zanpaktou through his chest makes you mad doesn't it?" he teased, "Does it make you want to run me through? Come on, give me a reason to cut you down." She felt her anger getting the best of her, she gripped on Izanami tightly and was about to charge at him, but a hand grabbed her ankle. Ichigo's grip held her in place as she looked down him and his eyes slowly opened,

"Don't….don't fight him. Get away," Ichigo grunted as blood continued to flow down the side of his mouth

"Do I have to kill you? Fuck off boy and let the adults play. I'll take good care of your girlfriend, better than you could." Hoshiko narrowed her eyes at him, she wanted his head. Slowly the hold Ichigo had on her decreased and his eyes closed. He was unconscious, "Hey, skull face is he dead yet?" That was it she charged at him and went to hit him with Izanami. Grimmjow grinned like a chestier cat; this was what he wanted, for her to make the first move and him to make the last one. Just as he was about to attack, Ulquiorra appeared and stopped Hoshiko and his blade from touching each other. Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at his fellow Espada and Hoshiko groaned at how easily he could grasp Izanami.

"You've done your part Grimmjow. We're done here." Grimmjow groaned as once again Ulquiorra stopped him in the mist of killing someone. "You must be the greatest cock-blocker in the world Ulquiorra; you sure know how to get in the way of another man's fun."

"We're leaving," Ulquiorra stated as he glanced at Ichigo's body, _there are some traces of spiritual pressure; it seems he has gained a new power. But is this still the best he can do?_ He thought as he then turned to Hoshiko. He looked her over as if making sure Grimmjow hadn't hurt her. Then he snapped his fingers and another black hole opened. With a groan, Grimmjow sheath his Zanpaktou and walked towards the hole.

"This isn't over, we'll meet again." Grimmjow said as he disappeared and Ulquiorra turn to follow,

"My apologizes for his behavior." Ulquiorra stated before disappearing as well. Hoshiko watched the hole close with a confused expression on her face, _why would he say that? That was the second time he stopped someone from hurting me. Was it all Aizen's orders? _She shook her head and sealed Izanami away. Bending down to Ichigo she wrapped his arm around her and positioned him so he was on her back. She had to find Orihime fast, he needed to be healed. Hoshiko searched for the young healer but she was nowhere to be found. It was if she had disappeared off the face of the earth. She still had Ichigo on her back as she knew there was only one other place she could go. When she arrived at the warehouse, she wasn't surprised to be greeted with a circle of Zanpaktous aimed at her. Shinji was the only one who stood in front of her and looked at her curiously,

"Why come here? You know you're not…"

"He needs your help! I came here because I can't find Inoue Orihime and his wounds are serious, please help him." Hoshiko interrupted

"Well for starters, you can help by stepping away from him. Being that close to him….your feeding off of him unintentionally." Shinji replied as her eyes widened, she had been so concerned with getting Ichigo help that she didn't even feel herself draining him. She had a few injuries and they were trying to use Ichigo to heal. Quickly, Love removed his Zanpaktou from her neck and went behind her to pull Ichigo off her back. He rested him on the ground and Hachigen came over to examine him. Shinji withdrew his Zanpaktou to push Hoshiko away from them as well as keeping a distance from her. He pushed her out the warehouse door and stood a few feet away from her,

"It's better you keep your distance from him, being too close could compromise Hachigen's healing." Shinji said

"I'm sorry to bother all of you, but this isn't for me." Hoshiko stated

"You sure about that?" Shinji paused as he narrowed his eyes at her, "You don't look like the same girl I saw a couple weeks ago. Before you looked like you would kick my ass if I looked at you the wrong way. And now you look worried and scared. Guess love has that effect on people." She looked away from him, he was right. She lost her edge. Yami shouldn't have been a challenge for her, if she had taken him down Renji wouldn't have been hurt and she would have been able to get to Ichigo faster and none of this would be happening. She was getting weak. Within a few moments Hachigen came out,

"The idiot will be fine, but you can't take him home. You'll just injure him more." Hiyori said as she walked out next to Hachigen

"I'll get someone to carry him." Hoshiko replied as she already shunpoed away in search of help

"He shouldn't even be around her." Hiyori commented

"He's grown enough to pick his friends, besides love is a crazy thing." Shinji commented, "I should know, I'm in love with Inoue Orihime." He suddenly was kicked in the back of his head

"Don't say things like that and don't bring anymore weirdoes around us." Shinji rubbed his head, he knew she had a hard time playing nice with others. But he couldn't help but wonder if Orihime was alright, it was weird that Hoshiko couldn't find her and even odder that she wasn't at Ichigo side ready to heal him. _Where are you? _He wondered.


	25. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Hoshiko raced to find someone to help her, she needed someone to bring Ichigo home; she couldn't be close to him or she would just make him worse. Hoshiko gritted her teeth at the thought; she hated her abilities now and wished she didn't have them. If she were normal she could comfort him, she could hold him whenever she wanted, she could make things better when he was in pain and she wouldn't have to worry about hurting him.

_**You mean normal like Orihime?**___Hoshiko slowed her steps as Izanami plagued her thoughts, normally she would ignore her, but she was right….she wasn't normal; she was an unseen danger to Ichigo, Grimmjow had no real intentions of hurting Ichigo, he only did it to get to her. If Ulquiorra hadn't of appeared, he would have killed Ichigo if it meant her fighting him. _**Another man testing you, shame he has to use the boy as bait. He's just an innocent bystander. But I suppose that's the cost of being with you.**_ Tears threatened to fall as Hoshiko thought over everything, _had being with Ichigo caused more harm than good?_ During the time she had been here, nothing but falling in love with Ichigo had gone right. And now even that was becoming a problem. _**Maybe Masumoto is right, you should return what's not yours. He doesn't belong with you…..no one does.**___Hoshiko was about to answer when,

"Hoshiko!" she turned to find Rukia running up to her, "Where's Ichigo?"

"He….I need your help, he was injured badly but I couldn't find Orihime so I took him to someone else to heal him. I'll take you to him, but I can't be close to him. My injuries would only hurt him more." Hoshiko replied, Rukia had a mortified look on her face,

"Orihime still isn't back…" Rukia stumbled

"No, I couldn't find her, I've been looking for her, but it's like she disappeared. What's wrong?" Hoshiko replied

"We were training in Soul Society and then we received a hell butterfly with news on what was happening in the world of the living. I came right away, but Orihime needed to be escorted back for her own safety."Rukia explained

"We need to get Ichigo home, then I'll find out what's going on." Rukia noticed the tear stains in her eyes, but figured she was crying because of Ichigo. Hoshiko wiped her eyes and took Rukia to the warehouse. When they were close enough, Hoshiko remained suspended above the building as Rukia shunpoed down to them. Hachigen was carrying Ichigo's sleeping body—he had bandages around his chest and stomach along with some around his hands and head. Soon Rukia took hold of Ichigo and shunpoed away. Hoshiko sighed then preceded to Urahara's shop, hopefully he had some information on what was going on with Orihime.

_**~Moments later~**_

Walking into the shop, everyone was taking turns being healed by Tessai —Ikkaku and Yumichika were already bandaged up while Masumoto was having her head and various cuts healed. Hitsugaya Taichou was missing; Hoshiko figured he was busy reporting to Soul Society after he had been healed. She looked for Renji and found him lying down on a mat. He was asleep and had bandages wrapped around his chest and stomach. Slowly she made her way over to him and kneeled down next to him. Renji was hurt saving her; she shouldn't have placed him in a position like that. Despite their differences, Hoshiko still loved Renji like a brother and hated to see him hurt.

"It's not your fault." Hoshiko heard Urahara walking towards them, he sat down next to her and examined Renji's bandages, "He'll be fine. Renji has been hurt worse than this before; you should remember some of those injuries."

"Most of them were _because_ of me, he was always saving my ass when I was still a rookie." She groaned

"Don't be so hard on yourself, the enemy should never be underestimated, even the lower ranked Espada can be a problem if taken lightly." He stated, "How are your wounds by the way?"

"I'm fine; the small intake of Ichigo's reiatsu healed them." Hoshiko replied almost sounding ashamed of herself

"How is he?" Urahara asked

"Rukia took him home after he was healed by…." She stopped, it was enough she let Rukia see the Visoreds, she wasn't sure if she should mention them to anyone else

"It's fine; I know what he does when he's gone. Besides, he's strong his wounds will heal soon enough. At the moment I think we have bigger issues to worry about." He commented

"Orihime…." She said

"She still hasn't returned from Soul Society. No one knows where is, Hitsugaya is in communication with Soul Society and they say they can't pick her up on any reading between this world and theirs." Urahara sighed

"Where could she have gone?" Hoshiko asked, "Is she trapped between the two worlds? Rukia said she was to be escorted back here."

"I doubt the escorts could have helped her." He replied, she looked at him closely

"What are you saying?" she almost whispered

"I had my reasons for not wanting Orihime to train or more importantly be involved with the winter war. Her power is unique and has great potential; if she continues getting better at her gift, she may one day be a stronger healer than Unohana Taichou. But in the wrong hands," Urahara paused as Renji groaned in his sleep

"Are you saying….it's possible that Aizen wants her as well?" Hoshiko asked looking down at Renji

"I'm saying I think he _has_ her." He replied, her eyes widened at the thought. If Aizen kidnapped Orihime, it would explain why no one was able to find her. But if she was with Aizen, her future was in his hands and those hands weren't friendly.

"We have to verify that and if it is true we have to get her back." She stated

"You know as well as I do, Soul Society won't make an effort to save one girl." He replied

"I wasn't talking about them," Hoshiko corrected him. Urahara looked at her and understood what she was talking about. He hoped that it wouldn't get to that point,

"That would be too dangerous; Aizen would eliminate you if he sees you as a threat."

"But he doesn't, today none of the Espadas would hurt me, Yami had a perfect opportunity to kill me but he held back and even if he wanted to, Ulquiorra wouldn't allow it. Then Grimmjow attacked Ichigo instead of me because he couldn't touch me. I think he wanted to provoke me enough so I would make the first move." She said

"Sounds like if you are to be attacked it should only be for self defense. So Grimmjow tried to bait you out," He added

"I think if anyone can get her back, I can….."

"No." both Hoshiko and Urahara were surprised when Renji's hand shot out and grabbed her arm, "You're not going anywhere….without me. Give me some time to heal…and I'll go with you." she could see he was still in pain, his voice was raspy and he fought to keep his eyes open. She rested her hand on his,

"Relax Renji, everything is fine. But you need to rest." Hoshiko smoothed

"Don't leave….me again. I can't lose you, not again. Please, wait for me." His grip loosened and fell to the side as he went back to sleep.

"He'll probably be like this for the rest of the night. He'll be fine by morning after his wounds are fully healed." Urahara said, "The best thing we can do is wait to see what Soul Society says. Hopefully Hitsugaya will be back with good news."

"In the meantime I'm going to check on Ichigo." Hoshiko stated as she rested Renji hand on his chest and stood up. She needed to think, the next move she made would be crucial so she had to think it out properly. Urahara watched as she left the shop, with a sigh he hoped she wouldn't do anything she would regret.

_**~A few Hours Later~**_

Hoshiko stood quietly on Ichigo's roof; she had been checking in on him every hour as she continued to search for Orihime. It had been a few hours since she left Urahara's shop and she was still determined to find her. Checking almost every part of town, she was beginning to dread that Urahara was right; Orihime was in the possession of Aizen. She feared what Soul Society would do or really what they wouldn't do, Orihime was an outsider and there was no way they would gather a rescue team just to get her back. But there was no question, someone had to save her. If her hunch was right, Hoshiko knew she could get in and get her out. The plan seemed simple, but there were so many problems in between that made her wonder if she should even try. This was Aizen's territory, his world that she didn't know and couldn't begin to imagine walking into more less walking out.

_**That's noble of you, saving the other woman. Maybe you should have done that to his fiancée. Oh wait, I forgot you took her head off. Not much to save there.**___Izanami's voice rang through her head,

"Why are you doing this?" Hoshiko whispered. Wind blew through her hair as she jumped from roof top to roof top, "I thought we were beyond this? I don't need you breathing down my neck, this is serious. I don't know Orihime very well, but I know I can't sit here and let a young's life be gambled away. Soul Society would never take any action to get her."

_**I know that, yet I'm still not sure why you care. She's just a girl, a girl that wants the same thing you do. If you get her out the picture, Ichigo is all yours.**_

"That's not true and besides I want to help her because…she has all the reason in the world to hate me, but every time I looked into her eyes, I couldn't find an ounce of hatred. So many people have looked at me with disapproval, despise, disgust and hatred. But she didn't and I value that."

_**That's sweet….but are you sure you're not looking for someone to take care of Ichigo when the deal with Soul Society goes through? I mean he'll be all alone and it would nice if someone could comfort him. Perhaps she's the perfect choice. Let's be realistic, whatever you have with Ichigo is a fairytale. He is human and deserves a human girlfriend that won't become a bad memory.**_

"Enough! You can either help me or shut the hell up!" Hoshiko groaned

_**I could….help you. If you asked nicely,**_

"Please, ok please help me. If there is a way to track her I need to know." Hoshiko pleaded

_**You're looking for her through the wrong eyes. Bring forth your true face.**___Hoshiko raised her hand to her face and let the fire burn away and presented her mask of Hades. Once again her vision changed; everything was tainted red, she tried to ignore the feeling and control her consciousness. _**Stop, allow your eyes to focus, let my eyes guide you. You have been looking for Orihime with the wrong eyes; whatever Aizen has done to her has made her invisible to humans and Shinigami. But you can see between the lines with my help.**_ Listening to her, Hoshiko did as she said and soon everything looked different and she was able to see things her normal vision would hide. Continuing her search she discovered traces of Orihime's energy,

"She's still here. We just can't see her." Hoshiko proceeded to follow the traces and found all the places that Orihime had been to in the past few hours. She was right in front of her and she never saw her, she was probably scared and confused. Hoshiko knew she had to find her and talk to her. As the traces got stronger, she was brought back to Ichigo's house. Narrowing her eyes at Ichigo's bedroom window she caught a glance of Orihime's foot going through the window. Hoshiko shunpoed up to window and was about to enter when she heard Orihime speak,

"I decided to say goodbye to you Ichigo—I wanted to say goodbye to everyone, but Ulquiorra said I could only say bye to one person and I chose you." Hoshiko felt her shoulders drop as she continued to listen, "Your bedroom has your scent and….Hoshiko's scent as well." Orihime slowly reached for his hand and began to caress it. Hoshiko watched as she leaned over Ichigo, her breath caught as the spaced between them disappeared and Orihime was inches away from his lips. Tears formed in Orihime's eyes, she was so close. A few tears fell on Ichigo's face as Orihime quickly backed away from him.

"I can't…I'm ashamed I know you love her so much. When I think about how things are, there are so many things I wanted to do in life. I wanted to be a teacher and a baker; I wish I could have had five different lives so I could do everything. But in all those lives I would still fall in love with you five different times," Orihime paused as she wiped her eyes, "I'm sorry I couldn't be as strong as her, I know that's why you love her. She's strong and beautiful. And she understands you more than I do, she can relate to you in ways I could only dream of. I tried to become stronger and instead I may have caused more problems. I'll be gone by tomorrow morning, so I decided to leave a few things for everyone. But I didn't know what to leave you,….then I realized the only thing I could give you is my heart. I hope everything turns out right for you Ichigo, I'll do my best to stop Aizen anyway I can. Maybe after the war things will be better and….." she paused as Hoshiko waited for her to continue, "I feel so foolish, but I love you. So I guess it's okay to have foolish dreams of you loving me one day."

Hoshiko couldn't listen to anything else, her mask broke and she lost sight of Orihime. The last thing she heard was a goodbye to Ichigo. She jumped down to the ground and started walking away from Ichigo's house. She felt like crying, she felt angry, she felt jealous, she felt confused but she also felt compassion for Orihime. She knew what it felt like loving Ichigo and couldn't imagine the pain of not having him return that love.

_**Didn't they look like a happy couple? Must hurt to be you.**_

"Must hurt to be you too, you're a miserable Zanpaktou and you enjoy my sorrow." Hoshiko almost screamed

_**I enjoy being on the same page with you—when you take a break from fairytale land and come back to the cold reality of who you really are then we can cooperate. You're wasting his life and destroying hers. When the deal goes through with Soul Society, you'll hurt him to the point where he might hate you, because you lied and acted like you loved him.**_

"I do love him!" Hoshiko groaned

_**Then prove it, make the sacrifice you know I'm right and if you really want to help the girl, I'll help you. But we do it my way.**_

"Your way got me imprisoned last time," Hoshiko stated

_**You make that sound like a bad thing. You know I can help you, so let me.**___Izanami was persistent, but she was right. What would happen when the war was over? She couldn't be with Ichigo and if some had to be there for him, Orihime was the best choice. Hoshiko felt the tightness in her chest continue, but she suddenly took a defensive stance as a pressure descended from the skies. A black hole opened in front of her and Ulquiorra walked out.

"What the hell…"Hoshiko looked wide eyed at him

"I wish to talk with you." he said in a calm tone

"Talk? I thought Arrancars and Espadas weren't much for conversation? It seems every time one is around me they try to take off my head." Hoshiko replied as she held Izanami in her hand ready to release her.

"I apologize for Grimmjow and Yami's actions towards you; I assure you they will be punished for endangering your life." Ulquiorra stated, she looked at him oddly but still kept her guard

"And is why is that? Why so nice all of a sudden?" she asked but he ignored her question

"I didn't come here to answer your questions; I came here to inform you that Aizen-Sama wishes to make a deal with Soul Society." He replied

"So? I'm not a messenger, besides I'm not exactly friends with them." Hoshiko groaned

"The deal involves you," Ulquiorra commented as she narrowed her at him, "Aizen-Sama will inform Soul Society about the deal, however he felt it honorable to inform you first. Inoue Orihime is in the possession of Hueco Mundo, her safety however is in your hands. Aizen-Sama wishes to speak with you without any unnecessary interruptions."

"Speak with me about what?" she asked

"I have not been told the details. If you choose to come calmly he will release Orihime and I will personally bring her back to the real world. However,…..If you decide otherwise, her life is over as you know it. She will belong to Aizen-Sama until she is useless and I am ordered to kill her." He replied as Hoshiko's heart dropped.


	26. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

_**~Hueco Mundo~**_

Aizen waited patiently for Ulquiorra to return—he knew it was a risk sending him into the world of the living when Soul Society would be on guard from what occurred just hours ago. But _she_ was well worth the risk. Orihime was the first step in the plan, he knew that Hoshiko would rather risk her own life before she let her friends especially Ichigo come and rescue her. _How easily she falls in love, _he thought as he knew by now she was in love with the young substitute. _Perhaps in time she could….._his thoughts were interrupted when Ulquiorra entered the room.

"Welcome back, Ulquiorra." Aizen greeted, "How did she take the offer?"

"Like you expected Aizen-Sama, she will most likely agree to the offer in return for releasing Inoue Orihime." Ulquiorra replied as Aizen smiled.

"Good, everything is working out well. So well that we can move forward with the next step," Aizen commented as he snapped his fingers. Ulquiorra watched as the doors to the throne room opened and a young woman stepped through. Ulquiorra's eyes widened, he had only seen the woman once in a meeting. She was the latest Hollow to be transferred and enter Hueco Mundo. She had yet to receive a rank; he believed Aizen had other purposes for her.

"You summoned me, Aizen-Sama?" her voice was soft and unsure. Similar to her appearance, Ulquiorra watched as her long white hair flowed down to her midsection, her eyes were ghostly white, skin only having a hint of color, the her Hollow hole above her left shoulder and her small mask covering the right side of her head. Her uniform was a sleeveless dress with a hood attached to it, the dress cascaded down to her feet, she wore white cloves and for some strange reason preferred to be barefoot.

"Yes, Kiyomi, I would like to speak with you about a task that will be presented to you in the coming days." Aizen replied

"About the woman….." she stated as Ulquiorra watched her eyes glow, he had been told that she had _special _abilities that Aizen saw necessary. He had never seen her do it, but she was said to be able to see things and do things to someone's mind. Many of the Espada believed that she was a psychic and saw her powers as something weird. But most of them didn't understand her and it didn't help that she was kept in a separate part Hueco Mundo than the rest of them.

"You already know what I need you to do," Aizen smiled

"I always do," She replied, "But the task will be difficult, she will have to be weakened physically and mentally order for it to work."

"I will make her _ready_ for it. After all her mind is already fragile it just needs to be structured properly," Aizen stated, "Ulquiorra I will need your assistance when morning comes for the world of the living."

"Yes, Aizen-Sama," Ulquiorra said

"You will retrieve Hoshiko at dawn, I know Soul Society has already made their own preparations for the _transaction_ but I have my own plans as well." Aizen stated

_**~Urahara's Shop~**_

Urahara wasn't in a joking mood when Hoshiko walked into his shop; she explained her discoveries on Orihime and what Ulquiorra offered her. He didn't want to be right about Orihime, but he had already suspected this was the case. But the offer Ulquiorra gave to her was the furthest thing from his mind.

"I sure didn't see that one coming. I already figured that he had Orihime, but why you? It can't be your abilities, having you in Hueco Mundo is like putting a child in a candy store. With so many Hollows there you would be on an unlimited supply. Why would he take that risk?" Urahara sighed

"I don't know. I thought about that too, but who understands what Aizen does. Apparently I'm entitled to make my own personal decision, but we know by now Soul Society has been informed and probably has already signed my ass over." Hoshiko said

"We don't know that; you were assigned to protect Ichigo, I at least hope they would honor that and allow you to do what you were sent here to do." He commented

"I'm expendable, that's what you do with expendable assets you expend on them. Besides my original plan was to go in and rescue her. Aizen just gave me an easier way in." She said

"You know this is probably a trap, nothing with Aizen is ever this simple." Urahara sighed, "How long do you have?"

"Until sun up, at that time Ulquiorra will come me or else they'll keep Orihime." Hoshiko replied

"No offense, but I would think Orihime is more valuable because of her abilities. She heals and you….."

"Destroy….no offense taken." She interrupted

"Should I ask if you have even come close to making a decision?" he asked

"I have….there really is no choice in the matter. Either I go willingly or Soul Society will hand me over by force. At least if I go willingly I can plan ahead." Urahara knew that Hoshiko would come up with a plan to retrieve Orihime from Aizen or at least guarantee her safety, he just wished it didn't have to be this way. But there was no use convincing her otherwise, so the best thing to do was help her.

"I'm not okay with this, but I would rather you go in there prepared for anything than just hand yourself over." He said

"I only have a few hours before dawn, so if you have a trick up your hat I suggest it's a quick one." Hoshiko commented

"Well that depends are you going to be nice when you go to Hueco Mundo?" Urahara asked

"You know I don't play well with others." She replied

"Then I suggest that you go in there prepared to die; Aizen is not someone you should attack head on. Even a Captain had trouble fighting him face to face." He stated

"I don't intend on fight Aizen, by then I may already be on my last breath. However I do plan on taking out as many of his pets before then. I know when word gets out what happened, Renji, Ichigo and the others would have wanted to save Orihime and I can't take that risk." Hoshiko said

"So you think Ichigo and Renji wouldn't be gun ho to save you? When they both wake up and you're nowhere in sight, they will try to rescue you." she sighed at his statement

"I'm aware of that….but hey may be I'll make the war easier on them. Never know, "she said

"I think now is the time to get Izanami on the same page as you; you'll need her help with this, only she can get you in there and possibly out." He commented

"I know….and I have some things I would like to do before morning." Hoshiko replied as she stood up

"A few goodbyes." He guessed

"Yeah, you could say that." She stated, he only watched as she walked out the room and headed next door. Soon he too stood up and started working on a plan to help her. Morning was in a few hours, so he had to be quick about it.

Hoshiko decided to tell Renji goodbye first, he was still sleeping in one of the side rooms of the shop. Kneeling down beside him, she saw that he was looking better than earlier. His breathing returned to normal and the bandages weren't spotted with blood.

"Renji…."Hoshiko sighed, she knew he would be mad at her when he woke up and she was gone, "I'm sorry Renji but I have to do this. I know there is a good chance I may not return, but you know better than anyone, if someone needs to be sacrificed who better than me? I'm expendable so I decided to take advantage of my _expendability_." She watched how he murmured unrecognizable words in his sleep. Hoshiko reached her hand out and caressed his face, "This reminds me of when you used to comfort me at night or rather I would barge into your room and sleep there after I kicked you out the bed. You really took a lot of beatings for me Renji; both physical and mental. You're a great man and hopefully you find a great woman. In the back of my mind, I wished you didn't let _him_ win my heart first. Then maybe things would have been different. Maybe back then I could have fallen in love with you." with a smile she leaned down and placed a small kiss on his cheek, "Take care of yourself Renji, don't do anything stupid, I'm a big girl I can take care of myself now. I'm happy knowing you'll be okay and won't be hurt trying to protect me. There will always be a place in my heart that only you have Renji. So this is my goodbye." Hoshiko pulled the sheets over his body and stood up with a sigh. The next person to say goodbye to would be the most difficult for her.

_**~Ichigo's House~**_

The room was exactly the same when she left except Orihime was gone and Ichigo's wounds were healed completely. Hoshiko figured Orihime would heal him one last time before she left. Sitting against the nightstand, she looked at him closely. Funny how just last night she declared her love to him and he accepted all the things she had done in her past. Right now she would give anything to have that moment again; to be in his arms and know that nothing else mattered at the moment. But once again, fate toyed with her after finding love again. Perhaps Izanami was right, happiness and love just didn't belong in her life. A sound from Ichigo's throat snapped her out of her thoughts,

"I might as well face this," Hoshiko paused as she reached out and grabbed his hand, "I hope you don't think I abandoned you, I'm doing this for the opposite actually. I know if you wake up and hear Orihime is missing you're going to charge in and want to save her, even if it means blindly going to Hueco Mundo by yourself. I can't let you risk that, there are too many Espada and Arrancar in Aizen's corner, going there would be your death. No one has to tell me how strong you are, but sometimes even the strongest men need to be saved. I care about you too much to let you be vulnerable at Aizen's feet. I'll get Orihime back, even if I don't come back. At least she'll be here for you, she loves you a lot; I know how loving you feels and now I couldn't imagine not being able to love you. But you should be with a girl like her—smart, funny, beautiful, just an almost normal girl. More normal than I'll ever be." She didn't know when she started crying but tears were falling on Ichigo's hand, "I won't let Grimmjow or anyone hurt you, I love you too much to sit back and watch you be hurt like this again. Please don't do anything stupid and trust me." She stood and leaned down to kiss him. More tears fell on him when she pulled away, "I love you Ichigo…. goodbye." Hoshiko released her hand but Ichigo's grip seemed to hold on to her. Her eyes widened, checking him she found he was still asleep.

_**Natural instincts, he really does love you**_. Izanami whispered. Hoshiko had never heard her voice sound so soft, _**I hate to break you too up, but it will be dawn soon.**_ She was right; she had to meet with Urahara and then head to the meeting spot. Using both hands, Hoshiko released Ichigo's grip and stood up. Heading to the window she looked at Ichigo one last time before disappearing through it.

_**~A few hours later~**_

The sun rose Hoshiko stood up from the roof of Ichigo's house, after having a last meeting with Urahara, she returned to his house and stayed on the roof until it was time. She shunpoed off the roof and headed across town. Now standing in the middle of the same park where Ulquiorra and Yami had first appeared, she looked around for anyone.

"Hoshiko….." Hoshiko turned to find the voice that called her, surprised she found Ikkaku, Yumichika, Hitsugaya and Masumoto standing in the distance.

"What are you doing here?" she asked confused

"We're here to go through with the deal, Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni ordered us to make sure everything goes as arranged." Hitsugaya replied

"How sweet of him," Hoshiko commented

"You're crazy for doing this Wairudo," Ikkaku stated as she smirked

"What have I told you about calling me that?" Hoshiko said

"If don't want to do this…."

"Thanks Ikkaku, but that's not necessary." she knew if she changed her mind Ikkaku and Yumichika had no problem interfering, but that would make things worse. Hoshiko knew there was no way she could defeat Aizen or the other ex-captains, but she knew with Izanami's cooperation she could put a "dent" in his plans and allow Urahara to get a better understanding of what they were up against.

"What no baldy?" Ikkaku asked

"You should be grateful I remembered your name,….baldy." she replied as he smirked,

_**This is taking too long….**_

"Patience is a virtue." Hoshiko whispered

_**Virtue… Not familiar with the word. **_Despite her words, Izanami sounded almost nervous, _**You're positive about this right? You should know once you give your mind completely to me, there is a possibility you can't regain your consciousness. **_ __

"I know….but it has to be done." She replied

_**Hoshiko, make sure you want to do this. I wouldn't want to….be the cause of your death like this. Don't make sacrifices you may regret, **_Hoshiko was so focused she didn't catch the hidden meanings of her words. But even if she did it was too late now, a black hole was forming in front of them. Slowly Ulquiorra stepped out and looked at her closely.

"You've followed orders well." He stated still looking at her, Hoshiko watched as Orihime stepped out of the hole behind him and looked around the park. The look in her eyes was painful. She looked as if she was waiting to wake up from a bad dream, "Come, Aizen-Sama is waiting to speak with you." He took his hand out his pocket and placed it out in front of him. Hoshiko looked at it for a few moments,

"First let Orihime go." She stated

"As you wish," Ulquiorra replied, Orihime slowly walked away from him and stood to the side.

"Orihime!" Masumoto yelled as she shunpoed in front of her and grabbed her shoulders

Hoshiko slowly stepped forward and then followed Ulquiorra into the hole. Standing inside of it she took one last glance at Ikkaku and the others. When she turned around her eyes widened and her heart stopped,

"Surprise you're not going through this without a fight," Hoshiko couldn't belief what she was seeing. Gin stood in front of her with Orihime standing next to him. She was wearing a dress similar to the Arrancar/Espada clothing.

"No….Orihime?" she stuttered as she looked back at the _Orihime_ standing outside of the hole.

"Return Loly," Ulquiorra stated as the Orihime in Masumoto's embrace suddenly changed into a female Arrancar. Ikkaku and the others watched wide eyed as they realized it was a trick. Before they could react, Loly shoved Masumoto away causing her to fly into a nearby tree.

"Masumoto!" Hitsugaya groaned as he pulled his Zanpaktou out, Ikkaku and the others were ready to fight, but Loly had already returned to the hole and it started to close with Hoshiko trapped on the other side.

"Damnit!" Ikkaku yelled as he couldn't believe what just happened, "Now he not only has Orihime but also Hoshiko. And we fell for it!"

"Calm down Ikkaku, this won't solve anything." Yumichika stated

"We have to inform Soul Society about this. Now we have new situation." Hitsugaya commented as he sheathed his Zanpaktou.


	27. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

_**~Urahara's Shop~**_

Renji held his stomach as he was not completely healed—he knew something was wrong, last time Orihime fully healed everyone. Suddenly thoughts of the dream he had fluttered back to his mind. He dreamed that Hoshiko was talking with Urahara about Orihime missing. Then something about a rescuing her, but he figured he was just having weird dreams because of his injuries.

"How are you feeling?" Renji turned to find Urahara standing in the doorway

"Better, my wounds are almost healed. What did I miss?" Renji asked

"A couple things," Urahara tried to be sarcastic, but with the trade ending to be a trick like he feared, he wasn't sure what to do at the moment.

"Where is everyone?" Renji asked suddenly

"Getting ready for a meeting, you're requested to attend as well." Urahara replied

"What's wrong now?" Renji asked

"Orihime has been taken to Hueco Mundo," Urahara paused as Renji's eyes widen, his nightmare was true

"Hoshiko…..where is she?" Renji abruptly asked

"In Hueco Mundo with her; Soul Society tried to make a deal with Aizen, trading her for Orihime's return. But it was a trick, we were fooled. Now Aizen has the both of them," Urahara sighed. Renji stood up and narrowed his eyes at the shop keeper

"Why didn't anyone stop her? There shouldn't have been a trade to begin with." Renji yelled, anger was building up in him. He remembered years before Aizen wanted Hoshiko; when she graduated and was in the mist of being placed in a squad, Aizen did everything he could to try and get her into his own, "We have to get her back, she can't stay there. I don't know what Aizen has planned for her, but I know it's not good."

"I don't know if Soul Society plans to do anything; chances are they'll leave things in the hands of Aizen. Hoshiko is right when she says she's expendable," Urahara stated, just as he turned his head, a fist slammed into the wall closet to Renji.

"I will not let Aizen keep her, even if I have to go into Hueco Mundo and rip her out of his hands by myself." Renji commented

"You won't need to. I'm working on something, I just need more time. Besides I think once Ichigo gets word of this, you won't be the only one out for Aizen's blood." Urahara replied

_**~Ichigo's House~**_

Ichigo woke up with a start—he remembered fighting Grimmjow and almost killing him, but his mask broke and the tables turned allowing Grimmjow to injure him severely. Ichigo balled up his fists as he remembered the smirk Grimmjow had on his face. He nearly had him, if it weren't for the mask Grimmjow would be eliminated and Hoshiko wouldn't….._Hoshiko_! Ichigo remembered before passing out that she saved him and was about to fight Grimmjow. Panic now settled on his face as he wondered if she was alright. Tossing the sheets off of his body he realized that his wounds had been healed. _Orihime, _he thought she probably came to him and healed him. He was about to get dressed when,

"Ichigo," turning toward his window he found Taichou Hitsugaya peering into his window

"What's going on?" Ichigo asked

"Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni wants to speak with you." he replied

"I don't have time for another meeting, I need to find Hoshiko and make sure she is alright. She was going to fight Grimmjow when I passed out from my injuries. Do you know anything, Tōshirō?" Ichigo asked still getting dressed.

"….You need to come with me, it's important." Hitsugaya replied ignoring his somewhat lack of respect

"I'll come to Orihime's apartment in a little; I just want to make sure Hoshi….."

"This is in regards to Hoshiko as well." Hitsugaya interrupted him, Ichigo's heart dropped. His mind started to flood with fears of what may have happened to her. Is she alright? Did Grimmjow hurt her? Was she……Ichigo closed his eyes at the thought. He would kill Grimmjow if he had done anything to her, "What happened?"

"All will be explained, please come with me." Ichigo was about to ask more questions, but he only picked the medallion off his pants and released his soul. Now in Shinigami form, Ichigo watched as Hitsugaya stepped aside and they both started to shunpo towards Orihime's apartment. Ichigo knew this was bad, he just hoped that it wasn't as bad as he feared.

_**~Hueco Mundo~**_

Hoshiko didn't it know how it happened, but as soon as the black hole closed she appeared in what looked like a castle. Gin and Ulquiorra were escorting her somewhere; Orihime followed behind and seemed saddened.

"Orihime," Hoshiko whispered

"….I'm sorry Hoshiko-chan, I couldn't do anything to...."

"I know, it's okay no need to apologize." She interrupted, she had no reason to be mad at Orihime she was a prisoner here and could only do as she was told. Aizen however, was a lying piece of shit; foolish of her to actually think he would go by his word. Urahara was right; the plan now had a bump in it. Continuing to follow Ulquiorra, two large doors opened and revealed Aizen's throne room. All the Arrancars and Espadas surrounded the room and watched her closely as she entered. She felt a chill run down her back as pair of eyes was burning over her; she looked around and found a tall Arrancar or Espada narrowing his eye at her. He had smirk on his face as he continued to look her over. Suddenly his eyes landed on Orihime and caused her to look away uncomfortably. Hoshiko narrowed her eyes at him; if he had none anything to her he would lose his good eye. Glancing next to him, she soon found the teal haired bastard looking her over.

"Sweet, didn't know the little slaughterer was a fuckin' babe."

"Shut up Nnoitora," Grimmjow groaned as he stood next to the fellow Espada. He was annoyed that Aizen made all of them gather for another lame meeting and wanted to introduce the woman to everyone. Like he really gave two shits about her,

"Mad you can't play with her?" Nnoitora commented with an evil smirk, "Wonder if she is a good lay."

"Does it fuckin matter? I hate these fuckin' meetings, there a waste of time." Grimmjow replied

"Come on admit it you wish you could have a crack at her. I know you got a thing for her; clearly you have to or else you would have killed her by now." The tall Espada said leaning down a little

"The only reason she is alive is 'cause Aizen ordered me not to touch her." Grimmjow stated

"And since when do you listen to Aizen? Come on Grimmjow, we both know she makes you hot," Nnoitora commented

"She makes me want to kill her, I can't stand her ass. All the hype about her makes me sick. Fuckin' useless woman." Grimmjow snorted

"Or you really want to kill her because you can't stand the way she makes you feel. You're trying to ignore it, but deep down you want her. Don't hide your want; it's natural. For example I want to fuck our new healer. And frankly I will before anyone else gets to her. If you want something take it, besides I thought you were the so called king." Nnoitora laughed, Grimmjow however had a stern expression on his face. He was annoyed at Nnoitora's accusations; he hated the woman and only wanted her dead. The last time he nearly had her head and the next chance he got the game between them would be over. He hated her, she brought an annoying feeling out of him, something that he didn't understand or want to understand. He just knew the only way to rid himself of it would be to kill her.

"…Fuck you, Nnoitora. Stay out of my business you one eyed fuck." Grimmjow sighed as he placed his hand in his pocket, talking about her was making him uncomfortable for some reason. Since the last time he fought Ichigo and smelt her scent on him, he had been easily aggravated by any mentioning of her. He couldn't let her drive him crazy, but she was becoming a problem; thoughts of her raided his mind at night, her scent was stuck in his senses.

"Well my one fuckin' eye sees something hot and sweet. I bet she is a virgin,…for now at least." Grimmjow groaned, the only thing the asshole thought about was sex and killing people. He followed Nnoitora's eyes to the young human and saw that she was now standing behind Ulquiorra and Hoshiko stood in front of Aizen's throne. Grimmjow didn't know when it happened, but his eyes were roaming over Hoshiko. It wasn't until Aizen spoke that his gaze was broken,

"Welcome, Kurani Hoshiko." Aizen greeted as he looked down at her. She narrowed her eyes at him,

"Cut the shit! Why do you want me here?" Hoshiko asked

"Please, watch your language it's unfitting for a lady." Aizen commented, "Yet, I wondered when you would ask," he paused as he crossed his legs and leaned against an arm rest, "Like Inoue Orihime, your power is quite magnificent; I believe Soul Society has yet to use it to its full potential. This is why I want to offer you a place to use your talent properly."

"Bullshit! You know damn well my power is destructive. You tricked me; you forced Orihime to come here and then used her to get me here. We made a deal, you have to release her." Hoshiko groaned

"Was she really _forced_? She made a decision to save her friends, I must say that was quite honorable of her." he replied

"But you're the one that place them in that danger and used that against her." She stated

"I know you feel like she was taken by force, but like you she did have a choice." Aizen said

"You made the decision for her. How could she ever stand back and let her friends die by your hands?" Hoshiko yelled, Ulquiorra was about to advance on her, when Aizen spoke,

"There is no need Ulquiorra, you may step aside."

"What propose do you have for me here?" she asked again this time through gritted teeth

"The reason for you being here is because I _want_ you here," Aizen replied, "Is that wrong? For me to want to be in the company of a beautiful woman," Hoshiko was taken aback, she prepared for him to say he wanted her because her powers were just as deadly to Soul Society, but this was different, "I have watched you since you were released from your wrongful imprisonment. And I must say, you are just as captivating as you were years ago."

"Flattery means shit to me," Hoshiko commented as she grabbed her Zanpaktou, "You should know I only agreed to come here…. to kill as many of your pets as possible and try to take you down with me."

"Tempting," Aizen smiled, "I haven't seen your Shikai in person in centuries."

"Then allow me to show you." she replied, "Yomigaeri,…. Kuragia Izanami."

"I always wondered when you would call her by her true name again." Aizen watched as the Zanpaktou released and transformed into the duel bladed scythe. But because she called it by its true name, the Zanpaktou now split into two scythes combined by a long chain, "The dual blade Zanpaktou, a rarity for one to possess such a weapon." Hoshiko held the two blades in her hands; she hoped this would work but there no going back now. Stabbing the Zanpaktous in the ground she raised her right hand to her face and started to bring out her Mask of Hades. Aizen never made an attempt to stop her and made no command for anyone else to do anything. Hoshiko's vision once again became tinted red, but this time she didn't fight to keep her conscious, she had to allow Izanami full control of her mind and body. The same decision she made years ago when she tried to kill _him. _Grabbing her head, her screams went unheard as she slipped into darkness; the dark part of her mind that Izanami remained restricted from any real power over her. Hoshiko already felt helpless as she tried to figure out if there would be a way to come back to her senses. _Don't get me killed, _was her last thought as complete darkness took her over.

"Hoshiko-chan?" Orihime worried as she watched her movements still, Aizen watched Hoshiko closely

"Kuragia Izanami," he smiled, "The Dark Goddess of Death."

"Aizen Souke, traitor of Soul Society," Orihime stared at Hoshiko wide eyed; her voice was different, darker. That couldn't be her, "So Souke, how do you want to die? I think I'll take a few of your pets first then I'll play with you. Or do you want to play first?"

"So this is her ultimate sacrifice, allowing you to take over her body again. I suppose she has yet to learn from your previous actions." Aizen commented

"What can I say; I make a good ally when needed. Besides I sure know how to cut a man down." Izanami replied as she ripped the one of the Zanpaktous out of the ground.

"Really? Last I remember you couldn't cut _that _man down." Aizen stated

"She was in love and despite everything, a part of her couldn't kill _him._" Izanami replied

"I wasn't referring to _him, _"I was referring to your husband….. Izanagi, you do remember him, don't you? The reason why you are the Dark Goddess of Death; they say after giving birth to your son, you died from wounds of childbirth and descended to Yomi, the domain of Hades. When Izanagi attempted to reclaim you from Hades ,he discovered his wife was not so beautiful anymore from all the pain and torment she endure. After the betrayal of Izanagi, you vowed to take ten thousands lives signifying your position as the Goddess of Death. And if I am correct _he_ would have been the lucky ten thousand."

Izanami felt a stab at her soul at the mentions of her husband. She knew Aizen meant to get under her skin by bringing up her past, but it had been too long for it to still bother her, "I feel no pain anymore Souke, that won't bother me."

"Do you feel jealousy when Hoshiko is happy? I would think you took out your resentment towards Izanagi on _him_ because the situation was similar." He said

"Enough!" Izanami yelled, "Remember the day of the day as I dig your graves, Hueco Mundo shall be your graveyard." Aizen continued to watch with interest as chains erupted out of the ground and surrounded the room—wrapping around him as well as the others. He watched as Orihime remained untouched, meaning Izanami was able to manipulate them as she pleased. As the chains tightened around him he noticed that few of the lower Arrancars were already dead by the nature of the trap. Grimmjow's eyes widen as he watched the chain cut through some lower Arrancars, the chains were a blade that emitted a dark reiatsu. However along with the others, he wasn't being cut but the reiatsu was strong enough to keep him in place. He was experiencing that familiar filling of his energy being drained. As much as he hated it, he couldn't help but watch her. Her killer intent was fierce and untamed. He was surprised when a deep growl rumbled in his chest. Nnoitora looked at him oddly, but smirk evilly, he figured the something like this would turn the over grown kitten on. Grimmjow continued to stare at Hoshiko as she narrowed her eyes at Aizen.

"This is new." Gin spoke with a grin as he examined the restraints around him

"You learn a few things after while being confided." Izanami replied

"I take this as Hoshiko declining my offer. I had hoped she would want to accept it after some consideration. But I see I was wrong. Such a shame she choose the hard way," Aizen sighed, Izanami ignored his words and started to ascend up the stairs to his throne ready for an attack.

"Perhaps you should choose your playmates more wisely," She whispered raising the blade to his neck

"I'm done playing actually." Suddenly Izanami felt a blade against her neck—realizing it was Gin she tried to break away, but if she did she would lose her head in the process. Aizen sighed and easily stood up from his throne, dusting the chains off as if they were debris. He was pretending the whole time; he wasn't even in the trap. _Could this have been a trap for me?_ Izanami thought. Aizen blocked the blade as she tried to attack, he grabbed the handle and her wrist before he forcefully took the Zanpaktou away from her.

"You were always a nasty little toy of hers," he commented twirling the Zanpaktou around with his fingers,

"Give it back!" Izanami yelled

"I have always wondered how you could bring back Hoshiko after she has lost her consciousness. I do have a few theories," Aizen suddenly impaled the blade into her side, Izanami screamed out in pain.

"STOP THIS!" Orihime cried as she wanted to run and help, but Ulquiorra grabbed her shoulders after throwing off the chains. Aizen watched as Izanami gritted her teeth, her eyes closed as she tried to push him away but it was useless.

"I believe if the mind receives enough signals of pain, it will release you from control." Aizen said as he began to twist the blade. Izanami felt darkness take her over as blood gushed down at her feet. Before she could fight anymore, her vision went completely black. It was then she realized she was back to the darkness of Hoshiko's mind. Meaning Hoshiko…..

"Ahhhh!" Hoshiko screamed as she was ripped out of darkness only to find herself in excruciating pain and bleeding heavily. Tears fell as her breathing became ragged,

"Finally," Aizen commented as he ripped the blade out and Gin removed his Zanpaktou from her neck. Hoshiko instantly fell motionless to the ground. Aizen gestured for Ulquiorra to release Orihime. When he did, she ran over to Hoshiko and Aizen made her attempt to heal her before she started to feed off of the Hollows around her. After a few moments Orihime looked at Aizen with a pleading expression,

"Please let her go," Orihime cried as she watched Hoshiko's body still quiver in pain, "I will stay here with you and do as you please."

"No… Orihime….stay out of this." Hoshiko gasped as she tried to calm her breathing

"As admirable as that is Orihime, you were never my target. You were just a means to getting what I wanted." Aizen replied

"What? Then why?" she asked

"You were the diversion I needed to get Hoshiko to come to me willingly. I knew she would never come to Hueco Mundo unless she had good reason. You being here forced her to attempt to rescue you. Of course she would never let Ichigo come here and attempt to do it himself." He replied

"What the hell do you want with me? Honestly, if you're looking for ransom, Soul Society will probably look forward to you killing me." Hoshiko spat trying to raise up

"My Beautiful little Slaughter, no one wants you dead here. You're valuable to me; someone with your abilities has no place in Soul Society. Their too ignorant to understand the true power of a Child of Hades,"

"Like you're any better," Hoshiko groaned

"On the contrary, I know all about you and the true extent of your power. This is why I want you on my side," Aizen stated as he leaned down towards her fallen body, "I wish to treat you like the prize _he_ never did. How _he_ ever gave you up without a fight, I could never understand. Words can't describe how beautiful you are," reaching out to stroke her face, he wasn't surprised when she slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me! Give me back my Zanpaktou so I can take your fuckin' head off Ass-sama." Hoshiko groaned

"Such a dirty little mouth you always had, did you talk to _him_ like that?" he asked

"Fuck you. Izanami should have at least killed you or your little bitch," she said glancing at Gin who only smirked at her

"Don't feel ashamed Hoshiko. I must admit I'm impressed—as predictable as it was, you managed to eliminate my weaker Arrancars and isolate Espada's ten through six." Hoshiko turned to see some of the Espada's still trapped in the chains, Grimmjow's expression was pissedas the chains dropped from his body, "I honestly knew you would pursue Orihime and attempt to retrieve her with or without my offer."

"Aizen, I'm already known as a traitor to soul society, Orihime shouldn't have that title. So just let her go and I'll….."

"Stay here? No need it's not as if you have a choice for that matter. However you do have a choice in deciding how you want to stay here." Hoshiko gasped as Gin grabbed Orihime and pulled her away, looking back at Aizen, she watched him closely, "You can be my guest or you can be my prisoner."

"Aren't they both the same thing," Hoshiko groaned, "I swear if I get Izanami back I'm going to run through your skull and see if there is a prize inside."

"You must do things the hard way, don't you?" Aizen said in a disappointed voice. "Perhaps there's still that raging beast in you that craves _his_ blood, isn't there?" he paused, "_He_ could never tame you, but I can." Suddenly, Hoshiko gasped, feeling the crushing power of Aizen's spiritual strength. She pushed her fists into the ground in an attempt to brace herself against the weight of it. Aizen sighed, giving Hoshiko an annoyed look before letting the weight of his spiritual power increase. He watched her shiver as she groaned in pain; she tried to hold her body up but soon she was fighting to even get her face off the floor.

"Hoshiko chan!" Orihime cried

"Stay…back, Orihime." Hoshiko managed to gasp

"Things will turn out much better for you when you decide to obey me," Aizen stated. His voice held a note of warning. Managing to raise her head, Hoshiko glared at Aizen, "Perhaps a simple please, would be the first step."

"Fuck you!" Hoshiko spat, she cringed as the pressure felt like she was being grounded into the floor.

"It's not a hard word, Hoshiko." He said, "Say it and I'll let you stand." Moments passes and Hoshiko still remained rebellious, "Say it!"

"Fucking please!" she yelled

"Say it like a lady," Aizen commented

"Please!" Hoshiko groaned, with a smile he decreased his spiritual pressure and Hoshiko caught her breath as she slowly rose to her knees. Still holding her chest, Aizen walked close to her and grabbed her arms, pulling her to her feet. He then took her chin in his hand while studying at her face.

"I mean to tame that rebellious beast in you, Hoshiko." Aizen whispered, "And I wish for you to allow me to do so."

"Kick rocks barefoot you traitorous snake." Hoshiko whispered back, he only smirked

"Ulquiorra, show our "guest" to her new room." Aizen ordered

"Yes, Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra replied as he gestured for Hoshiko to follow him, Hoshiko could only go along with him as Aizen was still in possession of Izanami. She knew this was a bad situation, she just didn't know how bad it was going to get.


	28. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

_**~Meeting~**_

When Ichigo entered Orihime's apartment he knew something was wrong—Rukia had a worried expression on her face and seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, the others seemed worried as well but tried to mask it. However Renji looked angry and ready to hit something. Ichigo asked what was going on, but no would tell him anything, they just said Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni wanted to speak with all of them. Orihime and Hoshiko weren't present, it didn't take much for Ichigo to figure out something was wrong. Walking over to Renji, Ichigo was about see if he could get answers out of him when the screen came on. Instead of Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni, Ukitake Taichou came on the screen.

"My apologies, Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni wanted me to speak with you all first since I was the last person to see Inoue Orihime. As most of you already know Orihime was abducted by one of Aizen Souke's Espada and taken to Hueco Mundo." Ukitake Taichou said as Ichigo's eyes widened

"What!" Ichigo yelled, "How did this happen?"

"While Rukia and Orihime were training in Soul Society, a Hell Butterfly informed us of the attack that took place yesterday. Rukia was able to use it and come back to the world of the living, but Orihime had to be escorted by two Shinigami. When they hadn't returned to either your world or Soul Society we made a search team to find her and the two Shinigami. We successful found them healed after they sustained severe injuries from the Espada, but Orihime was no were to be found."

"We have to get her back!" Ichigo stated

"We…are aware of that….but it is not that simple." Ukitake Taichou sighed, "Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni will speak with you all now in regards to the new situation."

"New situation?" Ichigo asked, "What else happened? Where's Hoshiko?"

Moments later Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni appeared on the screen, "As you all know Aizen Souke has Inoue Orihime and our attempt to bring her back unharmed failed, placing another situation at hand. The status of Kurani Hoshiko is unknown at this point; the possibility of her being alive is still in question."

Ichigo felt his heart drop, everything around him stopped. He was frozen as Rukia tried to snap him out of it his daze. Thoughts of Hoshiko raced through his mind then thoughts of Grimmjow hurting her or killing her came into focus. He clutched his fists as anger finally set in.

"Where is she," Ichigo demanded more then asked, Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni ignored his demand and continued to speak,

"Earlier today, the trade between Hoshiko and Orihime was a trap; Orihime had already defected over to Aizen's side and as a traitor allowed a Shinigami to be taken hostage."

"What?!" Rukia blurted out but caught herself, she knew Orihime wasn't a traitor; there was just no way of that being true, "My deepest apologies for interrupting."

"What do you mean _trade_?" Ichigo asked

"Aizen Souke made a deal with Soul Society; he would return Inoue Orihime under the condition of having Kurani Hoshiko give to him. However, he betrayed the arrangement." Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni replied

"Why would you trust him in the first place?" Ichigo said, "He betrayed you before, did you really think that would change. Why would you do such a thing?"

"Inoue Orihime's abilities in the wrong hands can be dangerous, if Aizen uses her in the winter war…."

"So you're saying she is more important than Hoshiko? I'm not saying Orihime's life means any less than hers; neither of them should have been involved with this trade. Instead of going in to Hueco Mundo and rescue Orihime, you took the first chance you had to get rid of Hoshiko." Ichigo groaned

"Hoshiko is a prisoner in Soul Society and a Shinigami, her duties are to…."

"So now she is a Shinigami, so what are you going to give her a medal for this? You gave her up without a fight and placed her in the hands of a mad man. That _prisoner_ is my girlfriend; I don't care what you and anyone else thinks about her. Everyone has treated her like dirt because of who she is, but you're the ones who made her that way. She has been through more hurt and pain than any of you and her body is a reminder of it every day of her life. I don't care if she tried to take her captain's life, for all I know he could have deserved it. Everyone who came in her life hurt her and used her until there was nothing but hate and anger left. And I'm paying for your crimes; she is afraid of being hurt and no matter how much love I show her, she is scared I'll hurt her…."

"Enough Kurosaki Ichigo,"

"No! I refuse to let anyone else hurt her. I made a promise that **no** one would hurt her again and if that puts Soul Society on the list then so be it. I failed both her and Orihime already; I couldn't defeat Grimmjow and I let you gamble with their lives. Orihime healed me last night; she made a conscious decision to come and heal me so to me there's no way a _traitor_ would do that. I'm not going to let them stay there." Ichigo stated as he removed the bandages on his arm.

"I will not allow you to do any such thing," Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni paused, "Despite your sudden outbreak, you are still valuable in this upcoming war and I cannot have you risk your life to save someone who is a stated traitor or possibly dead."

"Then let me bring Hoshiko back; she was my responsibility and as her acting officer I feel it my duty to retrieve her….dead or alive." Renji's tone dropped at the thought of Hoshiko being dead

"I volunteer to help Renji and also bring the _traitor _back for questioning." Rukia commented

"Enough, **no one** is to make any attempt in entering Hueco Mundo." Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni tapped his cane on the floor, "To guarantee your cooperation, I want all officers to return to Soul Society until further notice. Kuchiki Byakuya and Zaraki Kappachi walked out of a gateway and looked at their squad members with authority.

"Time to go, don't force me to drag you two back." Kappachi Taichou stated

"Rukia…. Renji, we're leaving." Kuchiki Taichou added as the others sighed but did as they were told. Hitsugaya and Masumoto left and then Ikkaku and Yumichika followed Kappachi.

"I'm sorry Ichigo," Rukia said as she walked over to Byakuya's side, Renji was hesitant but glanced at Ichigo before he joined his Taichou and left. The gateway closed and Ichigo never looked back at any of them, he was still lost in his thoughts. He didn't care what Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni said, he was going to get Orihime and Hoshiko back with or without their help.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, do you understand your current position as a Shinigami in the world of the living? Your only concern is to stay and follow your duties in preparation for the upcoming war. Do you understand?" Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni stated

"Yes." Was all that Ichigo said, when the screen went blank, Ichigo thought about what to do first. He didn't have a way to get to Hueco Mundo and Soul Society wasn't going to help him,

"Damnit!" he cursed as he started to wonder what was happening in Hueco Mundo, he knew Hoshiko had to be alive, she was a fighter and no one was going to take her down without a fight. But she was in the lion's dean with all of Aizen's men who would kill her if he ordered it. Ichigo knew he had to get there fast and there was only one way to do it without Soul Society helping.

_**~Hueco Mundo~**_

Hoshiko walked into a large room—it was unbelievable, a queen sized bed, numerous closets, a few couches for a living room area, baloney, etc. Was Aizen trying to buy her? She noticed a white Arrancar dress similar to Orihime's, but this one was more revealing. The top and skirt were separate, the top had slits on the shoulders allowing the long sleeves to hang down freely, the neck was in the form of a turtleneck and had a V line in the middle that ran down to her chest. The Skirt was long and had an opening on either side to reveal a part of her hip. _Does he want me to be his stripper?_ Hoshiko thought as the image of herself in the outfit would leave little to the imagination.

"This is your quarters." Ulquiorra stated

"You sure about that," Hoshiko smirked, "Looks like a bribe to me. I still don't get your Ass-Sama, why give this to me?" she stood in the middle of the room and did another look around.

"Aizen-sama, has strong feelings for you," Ulquiorra replied

"Yeah, well I don't make a good pet plus I'm not a stray looking for a house and home. Besides this room is ridiculous," she stated

"Really? I would think this is how a queen should be treated," Aizen's voice came from the doorway

"Aizen-Sama," Ulquiorra greeted

"You are excused Ulquiorra," Aizen said as the Espada bowed and exited the room, "Do you like it?" he asked while walking over to one of the couches to have seat. Hoshiko watched his movements closely, she was without Izanami, but there were lamps and tables that she would happily use in place if needed.

"What do you want?" Hoshiko asked

"I was hoping you were adjusting nicely; I had the room as well as your uniform specially designed for you." he replied

"Why?" she asked narrowing her eyes at him

Aizen sighed, "Please, sit with me." patting the empty space next to him., she hesitated for a few seconds, but when his expression turned to serious she cautiously sat down, "Do not be so tense, Hoshiko. I have not made a threatening move toward you, have I? I came in here to talk with you."

"What the hell do you want with me?" Hoshiko asked as he sighed

"Let's talk civilized, please watch your language," Aizen sighed, "I wish you would realize all that is being given to you. I'm simply offering you power beyond Soul Society—power that can give you everything you desire and deserve."

"And what would you like in return? Nothing comes without a price." She replied

"Have you not figured it out yet," he paused turning to fully face her, she looked at him with a blank expression, "I want you Hoshiko and by want I mean I _want_ to have every aspect of you in my possession—your mind, heart, soul and body. I have wanted you since the day you accidently walked into my office looking for Renji. Without even speaking to me, you made my heart stop for the briefest of moments; something no woman in Soul Society has ever done. I curse myself for letting any other man claim you, but I won't let that happened again." His hand reached out and found her cheek; Hoshiko didn't know how to respond as she replayed what he said. After a few moments his hand left her cheek to move lower; gently touching her throat he found her pulse racing beneath his fingers, "Your pulse is running a mile a minute, Hoshiko. Is it from hate or desire for me?"

"Both—my hate for you tempts me with desires of cutting off your head." She replied as he laughed, "Why are you doing this? Just kill me."

Aizen brought his hand back up and cupped her chin, "Who said anything about killing you? Besides, if I wanted you dead by now Orihime would still being putting your body back together." He smirked, "But, you'd truly like to die wouldn't you? End your tormented soul and finally have happiness and peace at mind. Or did Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni promise to give you a new life if you would be Kurosaki Ichigo's guardian?" His words hit her hard, he knew everything; it was true that she had made a deal with Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni. When she completed protecting Ichigo and Aizen was eliminated, she would start a new life outside Soul Society with her former life forgotten.

"So what does that deal have to do with you?" Hoshiko asked pushing his hand away

Aizen smiled. "I have better plans for you, Hoshiko, would you hear me out?"

"Do I have a choice?" she mumbled

"Honestly?" he started with sarcasm, "I was wondering, if you would be willing to join my side."

Hoshiko blinked at him, "Why?"

"You already know why, but besides my interest in you, we both know Soul Society will never keep its promise. They are going to betray you," Aizen answered without a trace of hesitation

"Who says you're any different?" she asked

"On the contrary, I would like your help to win this war, but if I were to simply use you, I would be no better than them. To be honest, I would rather you choose to join me than _making_ you join me. The choice is up to you, Hoshiko." Aizen replied, slowly his hand reached out and toyed with a lock of her hair. Hoshiko watched his face, the man was a great liar, she knew better than to trust anything he said.

"Wishful thinking," She commented with a smirk

"How so?" Aizen asked

"You really think I would join the likes of you? You're no better than the next power hungry bastard. I would rather be a prisoner and wait for the chance to kill you again. I don't know what fantasy you have with me, but I would quicker screw Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni before I let you lay one of your slimy clutches on me." Hoshiko smiled as he let go of her hair and returned to his side of the couch

"I have given you offer after offer and I would think the right choice would be simple, but there is still that beast raging in you that chooses to defy authority." He sighed

"Old habits die hard." she stated, before Hoshiko could react, Aizen grabbed her neck and in a flash had her against the wall. She gasped for air as his grip tighten, "Let go." She choked out

"Since you refuse my offer, I suppose I will have to break you—that strong will is becoming a nuisance to me." Aizen stated

"Save yourself the effort, I don't break easy." Hoshiko spat

"Really? Shall we test that." He bought his face closer to hers and immediately felt her body tense up, "What's wrong, afraid of another's touch?"

"Get the fuck off me Ass-sama!" she groaned as she clawed at his hand with one hand while trying to push him away with the other. Suddenly Aizen growled, pressing her harder against the wall he smirked at her

"As much as your dirty mouth annoys me, it also excites me. It will be interesting breaking you down," his free hand gripped her hair, forcing her head upwards so he could trail kisses up her neck. "If you just give in to me, I can give you anything you want." Aizen kissed her collarbone roughly and was rewarded with a desperate cry from Hoshiko. Traveling up to her mouth, she stiffened up at the fear of him kissing her, but slowly his hungry mouth only grazed her lips before releasing her, "I can live with just a sample of my prize for now; besides I would rather savor the moment I claim you in a more proper setting."

Hoshiko gasped for air as she slid down the wall, _since when was he a romantic?_ She thought as she caressed her neck, "Proper sitting?"

"You shall see in due time," Aizen paused as he turned and walked towards the door, "No matter how you look at this, you are mine now Hoshiko. And I will tame that beast in you, even if I have to break you physically and mentally in the process." Hoshiko watched as the door opened and he left the room. She slowly stood up and walked over to the couch. She knew whatever Aizen had planned was hazardous to her health; she needed to think of something fast.


	29. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

_**~Hueco Mundo~**_

Grimmjow Jaggerjack didn't know why he was summoned to Aizen's throne; last he checked he hadn't killed or done anything fun in the last couple of days. He felt like he had been neutered with all the new rules he had to follow. It was a pain in the ass that the one person he wanted dead was the one person that Aizen had the hots for so she was basically untouchable. Especially now, even if he lead a hand on her, Aizen would probably take his head off himself.

"Thank you for joining me, Grimmjow. I have an assignment for you." Aizen greeted as he looked down at his sixth Espada

"Hopefully it involves me going back to the real world for the boy," Grimmjow smirked, since Ichigo's _protector_ was in Hueco Mundo, he could at least take the boy out for fun.

"I have other plans for you, besides the boy is not a threat at the moment. As you know Ulquiorra is currently watching over our guest Inoue Orihime so his hands are tied with his other duties as well as taking care of her," Aizen started, Grimmjow didn't like were this was going,

"So what you want me to fill in some of his duties?" Grimmjow asked

"Almost, I would like you to be the acting guard of Kurani Hoshiko." Aizen replied, Grimmjow's eyes widened, he couldn't be serious? He wanted him to guard the woman that he dreamed of killing every night since he met her.

"As in guard you mean protect? Observe? And not kill? Ya sure about asking me for the job?" Grimmjow smirked

"I'm not asking, Grimmjow, I'm ordering you. After your last episodes of disobeying me, this will be your ultimate test. If you can guard Hoshiko and make sure nothing happens to her, I'll consider your value here in Hueco Mundo." Aizen stated with a serious expression

"You can't be serious? I hate that woman and the first chance I get I'm taking her down." Grimmjow groaned, suddenly he gasped for air as Aizen released some of his spiritual pressure on him. He collapse to the floor and pushed his hands against the floor in an attempt to not hit it face first.

"You question my authority way too much for your own good Grimmjow, remember your place. You may consider yourself a king among the lower Arrancars, but I am the king of kings. Never test me into showing you just how weak you are compared to me. Now from this moment forth you are Hoshiko's guardian, nothing and no one including you will lay a hand on her. I trust you know what would happen if anything were to damage my property." Grimmjow continued to gasp for air as Aizen narrowed his eyes at him

"Fine, I'll do it." Grimmjow choked out

"Good little kitty," Aizen smirked as he released his hold and allowed Grimmjow to stand, "Now go and check on my _property_, I have plans for her later, despite her reluctance to join me, I would like to give her a chance second in accepting my offer freely. Have her cleaned and dressed then send her to my quarters for dinner. I believe you can handle the task, I do suggest you prepare yourself for a struggle since our guest doesn't play nice with others."

"That rule about self-defense…."

"Has now been voided, I know Hoshiko can be handful, but with the right amount of strength she should respond accordingly." Aizen interrupted as Grimmjow groaned, he couldn't hurt her even if she tried to kick his ass. This was bullshit.

"Are we done?" Grimmjow asked with a fake smile

"Yes, we are. You'll find your new assignment in her quarters." Aizen replied as Grimmjow turned and left the throne room. He then made his way to Hoshiko's room, unaware of the hell that awaited him.

_**~A few moments later~**_

Grimmjow skipped knocking on Hoshiko's door and just barged in, he looked around the room and was annoyed that she was nowhere in sight,

"Where the hell are you woman?" he checked the bathroom and all the closets, walking past the bed he noticed the uniform set out for her. He didn't know why but he smirked at it. _Guess Aizen's into showing off his property, not a bad choice,_ he thought. Heading towards the balcony he wondered if she had made a jump for it. Sure she would have escaped, but where the hell to? There was nothing but desert and Hollows out there looking for a good meal. Grimmjow pushed the curtains aside and peered over the edge. Just as he turned around he was shocked when someone dropped on him and tried to push him off the edge.

"Bitch!" he groaned as he realized it was Hoshiko, she raised her fist and sucker punched him in the jaw then kneed him in the gut. Air rushed past his lips as he pushed her off of him. Hoshiko took the opportunity to flip around and shunpo towards the door. As she her foot reached outside, a hand grabbed the top of her head and pulled her back in, tossing her into the living area. She stumbled and backed into a chair.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Hoshiko yelled

"…..I would say to kill you, but today I'm in a good mood. Aizen wants you to join him for dinner, so clean up and get dressed." Grimmjow ordered

"The fuck? Like I'm going to listen to you." she smirked

"Look woman, you'll listen to me and do as I say. Aizen has made me your owner so be a good monkey and get dancing." He yelled walking towards her, Hoshiko pulled the chair in front of them. She knew Grimmjow could be dangerous without Izanami so she had to keep space between them.

"What are you talking about _owner_?" she asked

"Ulquiorra was originally assigned to be your fucking guard, but he has his hand tied with the busty kid already." He replied

"So Aizen dug you up from the bottom of the barrel? Sucks for you," Hoshiko said

"No sucks for you; you would have been better off with Ulquiorra; he gives a shit about you since Aizen's got the hots for ya. But I could give two shits about you. All I know is your going to get cleaned up and put on your clothes then eat with Aizen." Grimmjow groaned

"And what if I say…. fuck….you. Aizen can eat shit, I'm not going to eat with him." She yelled

"Yes you fucking are!" he yelled as he slapped the chair away and staked towards her, Hoshiko tried to run but he flashed in front of her. Grimmjow was about to grab her neck when he realized if he hurt her Aizen would have his head. How was he supposed to make her do anything when she refused to listen to him? The only way he know how make people do what he wanted was through pain. Maybe if he only hurt in places the uniform would cover, but that was too risky especially if Aizen wanted _dessert_ after dinner, "Look woman, make this easier for the both of us."

"You can't touch me, can you?" Hoshiko asked as he narrowed his eyes at her, "Even if I smack the taste out of your mouth, you can't."

"I could if I wanted to; after all your neck is only a snap away. I could just say you accidently fell off the balcony." Grimmjow replied

"Then try it," She tempted him; his hands shook at the thought of wrapping them around her neck.

"Don't tempt me." He said, "Just go and get cleaned up, you're filthy I can smell you from here."

"Go choke yourself." Hoshiko gritted her teeth, just as he was going say something the door opened and Gin walked in with a few female Arrancars.

"Yo, Grimmjow," Gin greeted, "Aizen figured you would have trouble getting her ready without some _assistance_ so they'll help you get Hoshiko cleaned and dressed. Grimmjow stood aside as the woman advanced on Hoshiko and dragged her into the bathroom.

"Finally," Grimmjow was about to leave when Gin stopped him,

"Ya not done here, make sure she gets dressed and drag her to Aizen's quarters." Gin said turning to leave, "And keep ya hands to yourself. I know she's tempting but, Aizen's property is off limits."

"I told him I wouldn't hurt her." Grimmjow groaned annoyed

"I wasn't talking about hurting her." Gin winked before he left the room. Grimmjow gritted his teeth at the accusation that he would want to do anything more but kill the woman. He heard Hoshiko yelling and kicking in the bathroom as the water started to run. He hated that he had to wait around for them to finish. It seemed like hours until he heard the water shut off. Soon the bathroom door opened and the women dragged a soaking wet Hoshiko out to the living area. Her skin glistened with water as her hair was still dripping and matted around her face and shoulders. Grimmjow watched as the only thing covering her was a white towel; he could smell her clean skin from across the room. Then suddenly he took notice of all of the scars on her body. He knew they weren't from their previous fights, so he wondered what happened. The wounds were something he had never seen on a Shinigami's body before, especially a female Shinigami. His eyes continued to roam her body and something in him groaned, he wasn't sure why but it wasn't a groan from anger but one of lust. Gritting his teeth he turned his head away and looked towards the balcony.

"Get out, you sick pervert!" Hoshiko yelled narrowing her eyes at him, "Trying to get a peek?"

"You wish Aizen's pet!" Grimmjow snapped, "Look I have to escort you to dinner, so put on the damn clothes so we can end this song and dance." He turned his head to see the women surround Hoshiko and dry her off with various towels. The women were sure to block Hoshiko from his sight, but he caught glimpses of her stomach, thigh and lower back.

"Stop staring at me!" Hoshiko yelled, she hated the way he was looking at her, he made her feel uncomfortable she felt like prey under a lion's gaze. With an annoyed groan, Grimmjow turned away and heard the women wrestling with her. Within a few moments she was wearing the uniform and her hair was being combed back. They placed it in a ponytail and finished preparing her. Grimmjow looked at her in the corner of his eye and then turned his head, what he saw made him have that annoying feeling again, the outfit fit her well. He wasn't aware that he was staring at her until she spoke,

"What the hell are you looking at?"

"Nothing lets go." Grimmjow stated, but Hoshiko remained standing firmly in the middle of the room, "Let's go!"

"No." Hoshiko replied

"Leave!" He said in regards to the women, they quickly left the room. Grimmjow closed the door behind them, "It's time to go! So move your ass."

"No." she continued

"I don't have time for this, woman. Aizen is waitin' so let's go." He stated

"He's your master, you go." Hoshiko said

"No one is my master, you however are his pet. So be a good little pet and go have your dinner." Grimmjow said through gritted teeth as he approached her

"Fuck….No." she said, without warning Grimmjow reached for her neck but stopped himself, teeth still gritted he bent down and tossed her over his shoulder. Hoshiko clawed at his back and started kicking at him. He ignored her attempts and proceeded to leave the room. Down the hallways everyone could hear Hoshiko yelling and calling Grimmjow every bad word in the book. But he just had an annoyed expression on his face and walked towards Aizen's room. Once he was outside, he kicked open the door and threw Hoshiko to the ground.

"Your _guest_ is ready to eat." Grimmjow said as Aizen looked up from his seat at a round dinner table

"Arigato Grimmjow," Aizen commented as he looked Hoshiko over, she rose to her feet and narrowed her eyes at Grimmjow, "Next time try not to be so rough. You may leave," Grimmjow didn't need anything else said he was happy to leave the woman's presence. Hoshiko watched as he left the room and quickly turned her attention to the snake at hand.

"Aizen!" she groaned

"Welcome, I figured you would be hungry after such a long day, so why not have dinner with me," He smiled

"I already said no to your offer!" Hoshiko stated

"I hoped after some time and after a pleasant dinner you would reconsider." Aizen said as he gestured for her to have a seat next to him.

"I'm not hungry." She replied

"I know you, because I am." He stated

"You _hunger_ doesn't require food." She commented as his eyes continued to roam over her body

"Truthful as that it, I think it would be a good idea to eat." Aizen paused, "Please, have a seat."

"Funny how you say please like I have a choice," Hoshiko noticed his expression turn serious and knew it would be wise to sit down, plus she had silverware in front of her. She slowly made her way over to the table, sitting down she finally looked around the room. It made her own look like a child's room. The set up was the same, but larger; he had a bigger living area with longer couches, bookcases filled with various books, closets, the balcony area had a patio set, the bedroom was in a breakaway room that had a long black curtain at a door and of course they were sitting in a well sized dining room area.

"I hope you'll enjoy the food." He said reaching for a fork and starting to eat his own plate, Hoshiko placed her hand on the fork, but quickly grabbed the knife next to it. Before she could even do anything, Aizen grabbed her wrist and squeezed until she cried out in pain. He never stopped eating as she continued to try and raise her hand, "I don't want to break your wrist. But if you continue I will be forced to shatter it in various places."

"Damn you!" Hoshiko cursed as she dropped the knife and he let her wrist go. She cradled it in her lap as he continued you eat.

"Your dinner is getting cold." He stated, she narrowed her eyes at him and slapped the plate across the room. At first she thought he was going to hurt her, but instead he took a last bite and moved his plate in front of her, "Eat, you need nourishment." He sighed as she picked up the plate and tossed it across the room. She was definitely a hellcat, Aizen wondered how _he_ ever managed to train her. Who would believe she was actually more civilized than she was years ago.

"I said I'm not hungry." Hoshiko groaned, she watched as he pushed back from the table and used a napkin to wipe his mouth

"Suddenly I am hungry again after all I wasn't able to finish my meal," in a flash Aizen threw everything off the table and grabbed her shoulders, slamming her onto the table, Hoshiko gasped as he grabbed her wrists and placed them above her head. With his free hand he started trailing gentle touches along her exposed stomach, "Perhaps I should have had you for dinner. Although I was planning on making you dessert," His hand continued to venture up towards her chest and then teasingly passed her. Clutching her chin he lifted her head up forcing her to look into his eyes. Hoshiko felt like spiting in those golden brown orbs, but she was already in deep shit, he would probably break her arm for it. Aizen moved his lips over hers, never touching at first, then finally coming down to lightly to suck on her bottom lip. She tried to pull her head back, but he bit down to keep her in place. Using the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth, Hoshiko was about to bite his tongue but he already pulled hers out with his teeth. After a few moments he released her tongue,

"Play nice, Hoshiko." Aizen stated

"Fuck off!" Hoshiko yelled as she turned her head to spit the taste of his mouth out of her own

"Was it really that bad? I quite enjoyed it," He said, a finger now ran slow teasing circles around her stomach. Hoshiko involuntarily clinched her muscles under his touch, "Perhaps your body wants to be touched."

"Not by you." she spat as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"I really wanted things to go differently, but I suppose my original intentions will have to do. Remember, I offered you a freedom of choice more than once." He rose off of her and snapped his fingers, suddenly a few male Arrancars appeared, "Take this _prisoner_ to her cell." Hoshiko gasped as she was hauled away and taken to her new cell. Now she was really in deep.


	30. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

_**~Urahara's Shop~**_

Urahara was sitting at his tea table when he heard the door open, he knew who it was. He had been informed about the details of the meeting that took place earlier in the day. He figured it was only an amount of time before Ichigo would barge into his shop and ask for help. Luckily for him, he was waiting.

"Welcome Ichigo, I can't say I'm surprised by your visit." Urahara greeted

"Then you already know what I'm here for. So can you help me?" Ichigo asked

"While the trade was going on, I was already thinking ahead in case something like this should happen. In actuality I knew that whether or not there was a trade Hoshiko was heading to Hueco Mundo and when you found out you would be headed there as well. I have prepared a way to enter Hueco Mundo; of course the path to it is different I can't make a direct way into Aizen's domain. Plus even if I could I doubt you would want to land in the middle of awaiting Espadas. The way will allow you to go there, but you will have to find the castle yourself."

"Maybe not by himself," Urahara and Ichigo turned to see Ishida and Chad entering the shop

"Ishida? Chad?" Ichigo paused as he noticed that Ishida was in his Quincy uniform, "How? I thought you lost your powers."

"That can be answered later. For now there is a task at hand; we must get Orihime and Hoshiko back." Ishida replied

"We?" Ichigo asked

"You thought you really were going to do this alone?" Ishida sighed, "Such an idiot you are Kurosaki."

"Orihime is our friend as well and Hoshiko is your girlfriend, Ichigo, which makes her one of us now. We won't sit back and let you go through this alone." Chad commented

"Thank you." Ichigo said

"Well then, let's go on with this shall we?" Urahara paused as he stood up, "Follow me gentlemen."

_**~Hueco Mundo~ **_

Hoshiko wasn't sure how long she had been in a cell, she just knew she was hungry and cold; Aizen had made the Arrancars remove her uniform and dress her back in the undergarments of her kimono, leaving her in a black tank top and shorts with various fishnet material around her arms and legs. She sat helpless against a wall and stared at the moonlight that shined into the room. She wonder what was going on beyond her four walls; how Orihime was doing, it had be so long since she saw her, she wondered if Izanami was still in one piece or if Aizen had her destroyed. She also wondered what Ichigo was doing? Hopefully he wasn't doing something stupid, but she knew better. He was probably trying to find a way to get into Hueco Mundo and be the hero.

"Ichigo…." Hoshiko sighed as she tried not to think about him too often, she figured if she didn't think about him, this wouldn't be so bad, even though she was clearly in deep water. Aizen wanting her was never in her plans, she didn't know how he planned to break into wanting to be with him freely, but she could handle any physical pain he could throw at her. It was the mental pain that she feared; her mind wasn't in its strongest state and without Izanami she wouldn't be able to fight back. Maybe she should just play along and let him have her then when thetime came she could join the right side of the war again. But the thought of letting Aizen touch her and do as he pleased made her sick to her stomach, she would rather be ravished by Grimmjow…..Hoshiko cringed at the thought, she hated the Sixth Espada but at least his intentions were honest hate and anger. She appreciated someone that showed their true intentions for her not someone who would smile at her and speak elegantly then slam her on a table and try to molest her. Hoshiko closed her eyes as she tried to remain calm, Aizen was a man of many tricks and he would probably try every one of them on her. Snapping open her eyes, she refused to fall asleep; despite being in a quiet cell she had yet to go to sleep. The thought of someone coming in at any moment made her want to stay alert.

"Oi," She turned her head to the door surprised to find Grimmjow walking in, he stood at the door with his hands in his pockets

"What do you want?" Hoshiko asked

"Aizen wanted me to check in on you before they make an experiment out of you." he replied

"How sweet, tell him I haven't gone completely insane, but it might happen soon enough. How long have I been in here?" she asked

"About four days, I don't keep track not like I care, woman." Grimmjow replied

"Why do you call me _woman_?" Grimmjow looked at her annoyed by the continued questioning; he only came in to see if she had crooked yet

"Because you're a woman dumbass." He replied, "Stop asking me questions!"

"Scared your brain will over load? Sorry I'll try to use smaller words when talking to you." Hoshiko smirked

"You would be eating dirt shit right now if Aizen wasn't hot for you," Grimmjow groaned, she only laughed and laid her back against the cold brick wall. He caught a glimpse of her scars again, "What the fuck happened to you? You like playing with knives?"

Hoshiko noticed he was looking at her scars and narrowed her eyes at him, "No, but I knew a guy that did. He liked testing my tolerance for pain. So I drove his Zanpaktou through his chest when my tolerance ran out." Grimmjow watched her expression go numb, a reaction to bringing up the past he guessed.

"….."Grimmjow was stopped as the door opened and Ulquiorra stepped inside

"Aizen-Sama is ready to see you Kurani Hoshiko," he stated

"Should I feel honored?" She asked sarcastically, but only Grimmjow smirked, "You're watching over Orihime right? For your safety, she better still be okay. I didn't like how one eyed jack shit was looking at her, if he touches her, I'll rip out his other eye."

"You need not worry about that, I can assure you nothing will happen to her." Ulquiorra replied, perhaps Hoshiko had become delusional during those four days, but she could have sworn she heard a territorial undertone in his statement. But she ignored it as Ulquiorra snapped his fingers and two Arrancars came into the room. Grabbing Hoshiko by her arms they dragged her out of the room and took her to her worst nightmare.

_**~A few moments later~ **_

After the Arrancars tossed Hoshiko into a dark room, she cautiously sat up and tried to take in her surroundings as her world slowly came into focus. She soon staggered to her feet and realized she was in a small room covered in black walls. _Was this my new prison? It was bigger than soul society's at least, _Hoshiko thought. Walking around she looked for any exits but with no visible windows or door from the inside, it would be better to break through a wall if she had Izanami.

"Show yourself Aizen! I don't like games." She yelled as her voiced echoed through the room

"This is no game Hoshiko," quickly she turned to find the bastard, but he was no where around, just his voice lingered in the room. Was this an illusion? Hoshiko wondered what he was aiming to do to her, "I realized physical pain is useless on someone of your stature, but normally those physically strong fall prey to mental attacks. I'm tempted to see how strong your will is against me when you have to face your demons."

"I get along with my demons just fine. I fear nothing Aizen! You have to have a heart to fear, I lost that remember." Hoshiko stated

"Are you certain about that? Perhaps you just like telling yourself that so you don't have to deal with your feelings. I have many ways of hurting people without raising a hand to them." Aizen commented

"I thought we talked about your ego already." She mumbled

"It's not egotistical when you have the power to prove it," He smirked

Suddenly her body froze and she felt his spiritual pressure knock her down again. The illusion took her over and she was suddenly face to face a mirror. Looking at her reflection her eyes widened,

"….this isn't real." Hoshiko cringed at the sight of her long black hair, dark brown eyes, and dirty purple kimono, "This girl is dead! She can't be hurt anymore."

"You sure about that, beautiful?" Hoshiko felt her body start to shake at the sound of a male voice that wasn't Aizen's. Slowly she looked into the mirror and found what would be her first demon standing behind her. He kneeled downed and examined her reflection.

"You're….dead…"Hoshiko stumbled, she tried to convince herself it was an illusion but he felt real—his musky scent filled the air, she could feel him breathing down her neck, "I killed you…..Seiichi"

"Death could never keep me away from you, I made you. That dark soul that taints you is because of me. You remember, don't you? In your dreams you see my face, haunting you. I torment you even in death. I'm always watching you, waiting for a chance to hurt you again," Seiichi reached out and brushed a hand across her face, "I loved watching you bleed." Hoshiko gasped as she felt a cut open up on her chin, he brought a finger to smudge the blood down to her chest.

"Stop! Stop this now Aizen!" Hoshiko yelled

"I put almost every wound on your body except for these two," he played with a scar on her shoulder blade and the other close to her heart, "Shame I didn't make them. Your body was the perfect canvas for pain."

"I killed you before, so help me I'll run you through again!" Hoshiko gritted her teeth as her will power was slowly returning

"You killed me? You never killed me; you're too weak for that. You're still nothing, looking at you, I still see that lowly peasant I tried to save. Figures you would betray me, after all you can't change a whore." He laughed

"What are you trying to prove Aizen? This can't….hurt me anymore. I killed him, "

"You killed me with this didn't you?" suddenly Seiichi pulled out his Zanpaktou and held the handle out for her, "I think after I bashed your head into a mirror, you took my Zanpaktou and…" Before he could finish taunting her, Hoshiko found her strength and grabbed the weapon only to run him through with it. Soon she was covered with his blood and the body lay motionless on the ground. Hoshiko raised the sword above her head and was about to stab him again, but she felt a different reiastu wash over her,

"Still a heartless killer I see," they stated standing across from her; she dropped her arms to her side and watched her second demon closely,

"No….not _him_; Aizen don't do this." Hoshiko whispered as she looked the man she had once loved over, he was staring at her with the same disgusted expression he years ago.

"Hoshiko," _he_ started, "Look at you, as disgusting as the day you entered my home. I still question Soul Society's decision to allow you to pay for your dept in my home."

"Dept? I killed the man that made my life a living hell, one of your seated officers. He took everything from me and left me with only hate and sorrow. Yet I had to pay for killing a Shinigami." Hoshiko yelled

"Can you truly blame him? As wrong as the act was, you are nothing but a peasant. How I ever saw you as anything more,"

"Bastard! I…loved you; you opened my heart only to cut through it. Seiichi may have made me hateful, but you made me in a monster. His pain could never compare to what you did my heart." Hoshiko yelled

"You mean when I shot lighting through it." Hoshiko couldn't take it anymore; she prepared the Zanpaktou and went in for an attack.

"Stop Hoshiko!" she abruptly stopped her movement as Renji's voice sounded in the room

"Renji?"

"Don't do this…it's not worth it. Please," Renji pleaded as he held Zabimaru in his hand

"You stopped me once Renji, I won't let it happen again." Before Hoshiko could reach him, Zabimaru came crashing down on her right shoulder, soon Renji pulled it back and started cutting into her flesh. She screamed as she remembered the pain of his Zanpaktou digging into her shoulder, the same man that claimed to be her friend and promise no one would hurt her tried to sever her shoulder blade. Dropping to her knees she watched as blood ran down her chest. _This is real blood…._ Hoshiko thought as the red substance tainted her hand.

"Renji…." She cried, slowly he dragged the blade back, as it was pulled out of her shoulder blood gushed onto the floor. Hoshiko painfully grabbed her shoulder and tried to stop bleeding.

"I should have left you to bleed to death, prison was too good for you." _he _stated looking down at her

"I should have never loved you," Hoshiko used the last of her strength to try and attack him, but he raised his hand to her chest. Her eyes widened as lighting shot through her. The room lit up in a blue light as she fell backwards to the floor. Her eyes were lifeless,….again she felt death nagging at her soul. Looking up she saw _him_ and Renji disappear. _Illusions? _She thought as her mind and body refused to communicate with each other. All of the memories that had been buried deep into the deeps of her mind had resurfaced and her body once again felt the pain of betrayal. Hoshiko fight to stay conscious, her eyes remained glazed as the devil himself now stood above her.

"Memories have a way of cutting deeper than the sharpest of blades. Right now your body is too weak to fight and your mind is on overload trying to push back all those harsh memories that took years for you to hide away." Aizen stated looking down at her

"Aizen…."

"Hoshiko, it pains me to see you like this. Having to endure pain after pain, why won't you let me heal you? I can give you a new life. I can help get what you truly want," he said while bending down to her, he slowly brushed away strands of hair and caressed her face, "Why do you think I betrayed Soul Society? They are nothing but fools teaching others to follow their ridiculous rules. They treated you like nothing because of what, defending yourself against tormenting Shinigami that should have been executed for laying a hand on you. And then they hand you over like rotten goods to his Taichou as an apology for you killing a worthless Shinigami. Why should you be sorry for killing Seiichi? He hurt you. If I had Soul Society at the time, I would have had him executed in a fashion of your liking."

"Aizen…" Hoshiko still tried to find her voice

"Let me ask you this, Hoshiko, do you want……._Kuchiki Byakuya_ to pay for what he has done to you?" he whispered in her ear. Her body shook at the sound of his name,

"Y-Yes," she managed to gasp back.

"Do you want to hurt him? Make him suffer like you suffered?" Aizen continued

Her glassy eyes looked at him, but were unable to focus.

"Yes." She whispered, "But….." Aizen narrowed his eyes at her, "Not by the hands of a snake like you." Before Aizen could even respond Hoshiko passed out. Even close to death, she still defied him. No one was going to kill her Taichou but her; Byakuya's death would be her prize alone.


	31. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

After Hoshiko's breakdown, Grimmjow was ordered to take her back to her room instead of the cell. He wasn't sure but apparently Aizen had something else in store for her. She was almost lifeless in Grimmjow's arms as he carried her down the halls. He didn't argue with Aizen as he would only be wasting his time, plus for some reason he felt weird about what happened. He was watching during the experiment and felt something in his chest that he never felt before. He didn't know what compassion was but he suspected the feeling to be something in that nature. Grimmjow understood her; she was always proving herself like him, nothing she did was good enough and there was always someone around the corner just waiting to hurt her. Fighting was all she knew and the only thing she was good at. Perhaps in another life and under a different situation, they could have……

"Grimmjow," he stopped in his tracks to find Gin walking up to him

"What?" Grimmjow asked

"Aizen sent me to see if our guest was still unconscious, the next task requires her to remain in her weakened state." Gin replied

"Next task?" Grimmjow asked

"Since there is no way of breaking through Hoshiko's resistance, Aizen plans to fix the problem in a different way." Gin smiled

"Fix?" Grimmjow was interested in what exactly _fix_ meant for them

"You'll see in time. Oh, after you are done, Aizen would like you to escort Kiyomi to Hoshiko's room. You may stay and watch if you like." Gin replied turning to walk away. Grimmjow watched him with a confused expression, "_what kind of sick game are you playing Aizen?" _he thought as continued to Hoshiko's room. When he reached it, he laid her on the bed and glanced at her before turning to leave. He knew he shouldn't care what was happening to her, truth was he didn't. It was just a weird annoying feeling he had watching her be made into an experiment. Grimmjow left the room and made his way towards Kiyomi's quarters; it would be the second time he had met the unranked Arrancar. He knew there was something wrong with her; she was different and very quiet. The first time he saw her, she looked at him oddly as if she was analyzing him. He ignored her since he hated being stared at for no damn reason. Placing his hands in his pockets, he walked further down the hall only to have a surprise waiting for him,

"Good evening Grimmjow," he was now face to face with Kiyomi before he could reach her room

"You looking for me or something?" Grimmjow asked still surprised by her sudden appearance

"I knew you were looking for me so I decided to save you a trip." She replied

"You a psychic or what?" he asked

"No….not really; I only see events that have value in regards to myself. For example I knew that you were coming to escort _me_ to Hoshiko's room so I came out to meet you." Kiyomi replied

"So you are psychic?" he commented

"I guess I am my own personal psychic," she stated, "Is Hoshiko still unconscious?"

"Yeah, she's out cold." Grimmjow replied

"Then we must act while she is still weakened." Kiyomi said as she started to walk ahead of him

"We?" Grimmjow asked

"I require your help with this, please let us get to her room and all will be explained." She replied

"I don't "help" anyone. To help would require me to care and frankly I don't give a damn about Aizen or his pet." He commented annoyed that he was still needed in this whole thing

"You say that, but I know it is not true," suddenly her eyes glowed and she reached a hand out to touch Grimmjow's chest, "Your souls are in sync with each other, but you are confused."

"What?" Grimmjow yelled as he pushed her hand away

"I can see your true intentions, but you mask them well. Your bond is deeper than anything Aizen-sama could ever create."

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about." He groaned

"You will….in time," she replied, "For now I must work on Hoshiko." Kiyomi turned and started walking towards Hoshiko's room. Grimmjow watched her closely and still pondered what she meant. With a grunt he reluctantly followed her. When they reached Hoshiko's room, she was still unconscious on the bed but now she was dressed in a white night gown and Ulquiorra was in the room.

"I was beginning to worry," Ulquiorra commented as he looked at Grimmjow, "Is there anything else that you will need for the process Kiyomi?"

"I have already received the help from Grimmjow required for the process to work." Kiyomi walked over to Hoshiko's bed and sat down next to her, "In order to break the chains of her memory, her mind must be weakened enough to let me enter. Grimmjow,…." She held her hand out for him,

"Fuck no. I want no part of this." Grimmjow replied

"I need you to restrain her in the event of her waking up during me entering her mind." Kiyomi said

"What? Wait you're trying fuck her mind up?" Grimmjow blurted out

"Mere alterations; since Aizen-sama cannot break through her resistances, he has decided to have her "fixed" of her problems." Ulquiorra stated, "Now help Kiyomi." Grimmjow hesitated, but after a few moments he went over to the bed and placed Hoshiko in his arms. He groaned as he wrapped his arms around her, why did he have to do it? Why couldn't Ulquiorra handle this? Looking down at her, he noticed how calm she looked while sleeping. Her breathing was slow and her body was warm. Without knowing Grimmjow tightened his grip around her and brought her head closer to his chest.

"Arigato, Grimmjow," Suddenly Kiyomi eyes glowed and Grimmjow felt Hoshiko's body jerk

"Shit!" he cursed as he had to hold her roughly so she wouldn't reach out for Kiyomi. He noticed that Hoshiko's eyes were still closed but her senses were alert. Kiyomi was inside of Hoshiko's head and breaking through all her defenses. Hoshiko's hands grabbed onto Grimmjow's knee and squeezed tightly. He watched as his own hand covered hers.

"She will fight the process." Kiyomi whispered

"What are you doing to her?" Grimmjow asked

"Making her forget." She replied

"Forget what?" he asked

"Everything….." His eyes widened, _what was this woman? How can she do this?_

_**~Flashback~**_

Aizen Taichou was in his office working on a few documents when there was a knock on his door,

"Come in," Aizen stated, slowly the door cracked open and the person stepped inside. He pushed his glasses up as his eyes landed on the woman that had been the talk of Soul Society, "Kurani Hoshiko,"

"Gomennasai, Aizen Taichou…I was looking for Renji and Gin Taichou said he was in here with you." Hoshiko said as she stood at the door. Looking her over, Aizen was in disbelief at how beautiful this young woman was. Her raven hair was in a high ponytail tied by a long white ribbon, her Shinigami kimono was traditional like everyone else except she had a blue belt wrapped around her waist. Aizen had seen her various times, but each one was from a distance. With her standing right before him, he could understand Byakuya's protectiveness of her.

"He was here earlier, but left moments ago," Aizen replied with a smile, "Please, I have been meaning to speak with you, if you are not in a rush."

"Me?" she asked shocked, she had never spoken with Aizen Taichou before and rarely interacted with any of the Taichous besides Byakuya, Ukitake, Kenny and Hitsugaya. All the others seemed to avoid her for whatever reasons.

"Yes, please have a seat." He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. Hoshiko closed the door and fully walked into his office, for some reason she was nervous, from what Renji told her, Aizen was a highly respected Taichou. Plus there was always something about him that made her feel unsure.

"Hai, Aizen Taichou." Hoshiko said as she sat down

"It is to my understanding that you will be assigned to a squad soon," Aizen paused

"Hai, Genryūsai Yamamoto Shigekuni is allowing me to freely chose the squad I would feel comfortable in." she replied

"A few Taichous have been displaying interest in your talents; I must admit you are a promising Shinigami. You went through the academy quite quickly for someone who originally had no intention of entering it." He commented

"Arigato, Aizen Taichou." Hoshiko smiled

"I only speak the truth," Aizen smiled, "With such promising talent it is only natural I ask if you would consider joining my squad. I would be pleased to have you as an addition." Hoshiko was surprised, sure various Taichous were offering, but most of them were either just being kind or wanted another psycho on their squad like Kenny. Aizen was the last man she expected to ask her.

"I don't know what to say." She tried to find the right words to say, truth be told there was only one squad she wanted to belong to

"Say you'll consider it. I know Byakuya probably has the greatest chance of having you but its not engraved in stone yet." He stated, Hoshiko smiled, she didn't want to offend him but she had no intention of joining his squad.

"I'll consider it an option." Hoshiko commented

"Please do, I'm willing to even help your consideration by offering a seated position. I suspect none of the other Taichous have gone into specifics with you about your role in their squad. I believe you shouldn't be without a proper seat." Aizen added

"A seated officer, but why? I don't even think I'm qualified for that." Hoshiko was trying to figure him out, sure a seated position sounded great. But why her? She was the wild card of Soul Society; no matter how skilled she was there was still that rebellious personality that made her a risk.

"You do in my eyes, I see a redeemed young woman trying to make amends for her past. I don't question if you are qualified for it, you should have a rank regardless of what squad you join. I just hope other Taichous see it that way as well." He replied

"Perhaps," she stumbled

"Do you doubt me?" he asked

"No of course not, you're a respected Taichou you have no reason to lie. I just don't see it for myself. I appreciate all that you have said and offered. But I feel I have to be realistic with myself. And perhaps a seated officer isn't what is right for me right now. I do plan on becoming stronger and better so that I can prove my worth." Hoshiko stated

"Your worth? To whom do you have to prove the obvious?" Aizen asked

"I suppose….everyone. From the moment I entered the Academy, I was a target. They believed I was merely the Kuchiki servant and got a free ride into becoming a Shinigami. But I want to show them I'm more than that, so I can be worthy to be hi…." She stopped as she realized she what she was talking to Aizen about.

"Worthy to be his? I presume your true goal is to make a name for yourself in hopes the Kuchiki family will accept you." he commented as her eyes widened, "Of course I'm just presuming. Trust that whatever is said in my office remains here."

"Airgato Aizen Taichou," Hoshiko blushed

"No problem, I hope if there is a problem or something you would like to talk about you will remember my office is always open for you." Aizen said

"I will remember that." She replied, "I should continue to find Renji, I'm sure he's probably searching for me. But Airgato again Aizen Taichou."

"Please the pleasure was mine Hoshiko." He smiled as she stood up and exited his office. After a few moments, Aizen leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily. He wanted her and there was no question on what he would do to have her. He narrowed his eyes at his door as it cracked open. Aizen wasn't surprised when Gin walked in and locked the door behind him.

"Thought I would give you two some privacy." Gin smirked as he dropped down in a chair, "How did it go? Is she joining your squad?"

"I doubt it; she is in love with him." Aizen replied as he took off his glasses and placed them aside. How he hated those damn things, "She'll chose to be on squad six."

"Well that's boring." Gin commented, "But makes things interesting at the same time. Does this affect your plans in anyway?"

"Not the slightest bit." Aizen replied

"But she loves him." Gin laughed

"What does love have to do with it?" Aizen smirked, "I want her and nothing is going to keep me from getting what I want, even if that _nothing_ is Kuchiki Byakuya."

"This should be fun." Gin smiled

_**~Present~**_

Aizen sat on his throne almost proud of himself; he had finally broken Hoshiko and she would be helpless in the second phase of his plan. He honestly wished that it didn't take so long to break through her resistance, but Hoshiko wasn't easily broken. Her body was built to endure pain, whatever suffering Seiichi put her through he created a monster. Mental attacks were her only weak spot, luckily Aizen knew all the dirty secrets she tried to keep buried for centuries.

"Funny how Kuchiki still boils her blood, guess all can never be forgotten." Gin announced as he entered the room

"Wouldn't you want the head of the person who betrayed your love?" Aizen smirked, "It's only natural that she still hates him, I believe she will hate him for the rest of her life."

"Sounds fun, hope I'm around to see if she does get another chance at his head. " Gin smiled, "But I came here because someone wants to speak with you." The doors opened and Kiyomi stepped into the room

"What do I owe this pleasure Kiyomi," Aizen greeted

"I wished to talk with you Aizen-sama about Hoshiko," Kiyomi replied

"Is the task done?" he asked

"Yes….she remembers nothing; her mind is a vacant vessel and ready to absorb whatever you choose for her to know." She replied

"Excellent," Aizen smiled, "Gin take Hoshiko to Szayel." Gin smirked and left the room

"Szayel?" Kiyomi asked

"The last phase of Hoshiko's "alterations" requires Szayel's attention." He replied

"With all due respect Aizen-Sama, what are you planning to do with Hoshiko?" she asked curiously

"I understand your curiosity Kiyomi. In regards to Hoshiko, I have planned many scenarios that would take place depending on the decisions she made here. Because her resistance took so long to break and needed to go to the extremes of erasing her memory I have planned a new life for her. One that is better for the both of us." Kiyomi watched as he had an arrogant smile on his face, she knew he was powerful but what more could he do to abuse that power?


	32. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

She didn't know what happened to her or why her body felt numb. She just remembered seeing shadows of people moving around her._ Where am I? Who am I?_ she wondered as her eyes slowly opened and the room came into focus. With a groan she leaned up on her elbows and realized she was on a table in a white room. _What is this place? _Pushing a white sheet off her body, she slowly swung her legs over the edge of the table and let her feet touch the cold floor. Her head started spinning and she had to balance herself against the table. Grabbing her head she attempted to stop it from hurting, but suddenly widened her eyes as she felt something hard attached to her face. _What!_ She panicked as she tried to pull at it, but it was stuck. She franticly looked around the room for something to see her reflection. Finding a mirror against a wall her mouth dropped open as she saw herself._ What am I? _The hard structure on her face was a broken piece of a skull mask; it covered the upper corner of her face making the inner corner of her left eye a silver color while the outer corner was a blood red with black Sclera. She continued examining her body and found another bone like piece on the back of her neck, making a pointed collar half way around her neck. Her hair flowed down to her thighs in wild waves of silver. _I'm a monster? _She grabbed her chest as her breathing quickened. Feeling something wrong, she pulled down the top of her shirt and found a black hole over her heart. Without warning she screamed and backed away from the mirror. She was running for the door when suddenly it opened and caused her to fall back. Before she could move two men walked in and looked at her closely.

"Looks like princess' finally awake?" one with silver hair smirked

"Who are you?" she stuttered backing away from them

The one with brown hair and chocolate brown eyes kneeled down in front of her, she narrowed her eyes at him as he spoke, "No need to be scared, we are not here to hurt nor have we done any harm to you." He smiled, "My name is Aizen Sousuke and this is Ichimaru Gin. Perhaps Szayel was correct; you have lost your memory."

"Aizen Sousuke… Ichimaru Gin….Szayel." She wondered why it felt weird repeating those names, but quickly shook her head as he reached out to brush hair out of her face, "Who are you to me, Aizen Sousuke? Why are you here?..... Who am I? **What** am I?"

"I shall answer all your questions my dear," he smiled as he rested a hand over hers, but she quickly pulled away, "First you should know who you are, your name is Damita Grotesca; my Espada."

"Espada?" _Damita_ asked, "Like a monster?"

"No, Espadas are top ranked _soldiers_ under my command. You were among them but you were injured during a battle against a few Shinigami." Aizen replied

"Shinigami? If you command soldiers then are you a king?" she asked

"No…. not yet at least. I am merely a man trying to make a difference. You see I am an exiled Shinigami from Soul Society." Aizen started as she looked confused, "A Shinigami is an enforcer of the spiritual world, given the duties of maintaining the balance between the world of the living and the dead."

"Then why were you exiled?" she asked

"Because I saw things differently; my beliefs were outside of Soul Society's ignorant laws. That's why I was punished for following my beliefs." He replied

"So I help you fight them? I take it I wasn't any good since I was injured." Damita mumbled

"No, you are one of my most prized Espada. You were injured because you were out matched during a mission." Aizen replied

"Gomennasai, if what you say is true, I failed you, didn't I?" she looked down

"Damita, I could care less about a mission. I'm just grateful you're alive." He stated as his hand grabbed hers and looked deeply into her eyes. When he felt her tense up, he pulled away, "I apologize, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, it's just…..I nearly lost you. I didn't know what to do; I feared you would never wake up." Aizen looked away from her as if he was ashamed of his sudden actions. Gin stiffened a laugh as knew Aizen deserved an academy award for his performance.

"You care for me?" Damita asked

"Deeply, I care for you deeply Damita." Aizen replied

"Like love?" she continued to ask

"I suppose I do love you. And I don't want you to be hurt again." he said

"Why don't I remember anything?" she asked

"The effects of the attack; you were so badly injured that your mask was broken causing you to lose your memories." Aizen replied, "I will answer anymore questions you have, but first I will send in some servants to help get you cleaned and dressed. I'm sure your fellow Espadas will be eager to see you up and moving." Damita watched as he stood up and snapped his fingers. Soon a few women came in and bowed to him. He turned back to her and stretched his hand out for her, slowly she placed her hand in his and he pulled her to her feet.

"I will leave you in their care and when you are done Gin will retrieve you and bring you to the meeting." Aizen stated

"I still don't know what to think about all of this? It seems so weird to me."Damita said

"I know, but trust me I will help you through this as you are still healing." He smiled, he turned to leave but she held his hand. At first he wondered what was wrong with her, as he grip was tightening.

"….Arigato, Aizen-Sama." With a proud smile Aizen lifted her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it.

"Anything for you my precious Damita." Aizen replied leaving the room with Gin following behind. When they were in the hallway, Gin couldn't hold his laugher in anymore.

"Would ya like an Academy Award made of chocolate?" he asked with a smirk

"You seem pleased with my _performance_," Aizen stated

"Very much so, but are you happy with your _new_ pet?" Gin asked

"She won't be the same Hoshiko I wanted, but we'll see how turning her into my first Hollowified Child of Hades changes her. I'm always open to new possibilities anyway," Aizen replied, "Have the Espadas been briefed on our new guest?"

"Tosen took care of it hours ago." Gin smiled

"Good." They both continued towards the meeting room as they would wait for the latest Espada to make her entrance."

_**~Moments Later~**_

Grimmjow didn't know what was going on, but he was now sitting in a meeting with the other Espadas. After Kiyomi was done he was ordered to leave the room and from then he didn't know what was going on with Hoshiko. He wondered if the process worked; did she really forget everything? And if she did what was Aizen planning to do after that? Tosen mentioned something about a meeting but he normally tuned him and Gin out whenever they spoke. Grimmjow's fingers tapped on the table annoyingly, he still wondered what Kiyomi was. If she had the power to erase someone's mind, what else was she capable of?

"Good evening," Aizen announced as he walked into the room and took his place at the head of the table, it wasn't until he and Tosen sat down that Grimmjow noticed there was an extra seat besides the one for Gin. _Hoshiko? _He wondered, "Tonight we will welcome another Espada into our family."

"What!" Yami groaned, "Tosen mentioned your _process_ of fixing the Shinigami, but he didn't say anything about her being an Espada."

"As you all have witness her abilities are far beyond the ranks of an Arrancar; I would be foolish to place her as such. For her I have assigned the rank of Cero Espada." Aizen stated

"So you're basing her rank on her abilities; both what she originally had and what she could possibly have acquired during what was done to her." Halibel said in a serious tone

"Exactly," Aizen replied,

"How is her becoming an Espada even possible?" Nnoitora asked

"Normally the transformation would be impossible, but because Hoshiko's abilities allow her to absorb Hollows Szayel was able to use remnants of Hollow reiatsu along with my help to turn her into what she is now." Aizen replied

"And she remembers nothing of being a Shinigami?"Yami asked

"With the help of Kiyomi, she remembers nothing before today." Aizen replied

"You're going through a lot for this one Shinigami, Aizen-Sama." Halibel commented

"She is worth it," Aizen stated

"Wait, if she is the "Cero" Espada, doesn't that mean she is ranked higher than Stark?" Grimmjow groaned, there was no way that woman was getting a rank higher than him

"That is open for interpretation; with the rank of cero she can either be stronger than ranks one through ten or weaker than them. All will have to be seen." Aizen replied, "But for the moment she is simply the Cero Espada, nothing more. No need to be too excited, she will not be taking any of your current ranks."

Grimmjow was about to protest when suddenly the doors opened and Gin walked in with someone walked in.

"I brought a gift." Gin smirked

"I hope I'm not interrupting,"

"Of course not, we were just having meaningless conversations until your arrival. Please, have a seat Damita." Aizen greeted, Grimmjow watched the woman closely, at first he wondered who she was until she walked past him and he caught her scent, _no fucking way!?_ He thought as his eyes widened, _Hoshiko, what did they do to you? _She took her seat next to Aizen and tried to ignore all the stares that were burning into her. Grimmjow couldn't take his eyes off her, she was an Espada, what happened to the Shinigami he saw just days ago. Her uniform was different this time, top and pants were still separate but the top had slits on the shoulders running down to her sleeves and had a chain to close the sleeve at the wrists, there was V line in the middle that ran down to her chest revealing a glimpse of her Hollow hole, the pants were long and hung loosely on hips with only the black obi holding it up. Her silver hair was in a high ponytail showing another Hollow mask piece on the back of her neck.

"How are you feeling, Damita?" Tosen asked, Grimmjow nearly gagged at how fake he sounded. This was ridiculous; couldn't Aizen just take her and make her his toy on his own terms? Why did he have to make things complicated and make the woman an Espada?

"I'm okay, I think. Everything is still new to me." She replied looking around the room. Her eyes landed on Grimmjow as he stared back at her with an annoyed expression.

"In time everything will come back to you. This is why I have decided to assign you to another Espada as their Fracción, so that the adjusting process will not be so difficult for you." Aizen stated

"Well, I'm always looking for to add onto my Fracción." Nnoitora stated as his eyes wondered over Damita.

"Damita has already been assigned to an Espada that suits her needs as well as one that I trust will understand her condition." Aizen said, Grimmjow panicked, he didn't like having to watch her when she was a Shinigami, he sure as hell didn't want anything to do with her as an Espada, "Damita will be Ulquiorra's Fracción member, until she is strong enough to stand alone."

"I would be honored, Aizen-Sama." Ulquiorra commented

"Then what about the healer? Who will watch her? I mean I don't mind having to play babysitter for her." Nnoitora stated, he wanted want to be the first to "break" the new Espada in, but he could live with having a chance with their little healer.

"Grimmjow will take over Ulquiorra's duties in watching over Orihime." Aizen replied as the Sixth Espada narrowed his eyes at him

"What?" Grimmjow asked, "I never agreed to watch her, besides I don't babysit."

"Be a good kitty Grimmjow," Gin commented causing Grimmjow to growl at him

"Who is Orihime?" Damita asked

"She is a special quest from the world of the living. She was brought here by Ulquiorra to protect her abilities from Soul Society." Aizen replied

"Abilities?" Damita asked

"She can heal people and make it as if their injuries never took place." Aizen replied

"So you brought her here to heal your own mean instead?" she asked

"Not necessarily, I brought her here so her powers would not be abused in the wrong hands." He replied

"Such as Soul Society," Damita commented as he nodded, "While I was getting prepared, I couldn't help but wonder, who injured me to the point that I lost my memory."

"….You were hurt by a Shinigami during a mission in the real world, luckily Grimmjow was there with you and brought you back to us. Szayel tended to your wounds but you were unconscious for days. He suspected you would have memory loss from your head injuries." Aizen sighed

"Who is the Shinigami that hurt me?" Damita asked

"Kurosaki Ichigo," Aizen replied

"Then I will kill Kurosaki Ichigo for what he has done to me." Damita stated coldly as Grimmjow's eyes widened

_**To be continued……**_

Author's Note: Sorry these last two chapters took soooooooo long, I had finals (yeah I know such a drag) but I'm done and looking forward to break. I have already wrote two chapters for part two which will be a back story into Hoshiko's past and her life in Soul Society. It will have plenty Renji goodness and lots of Byakuya hotness. I'll post the two chapters in a few

Oh and most importantly….

^_^ Happy Holidays


	33. Chapter 31

Ok here is what happened…I got stuck with this story and was blank for a couple of days until one of my friends came up with the idea of continuing from where I left off but have Hoshiko's past encounters as flashbacks instead of a story by itself. Of course she suggested this because she refused to read it unless Grimmjow and Ichigo were mentioned in it so I came to the decision to do as she suggested it. Now enough of my blabbing and on with the story ^ _^

**Chapter Thirty-One**

Ichigo forgot how long they had been running through darkness; Ishida and Chad were right behind him as they traveled through the dark tunnel towards Hueco Mundo. Because Urahara was unsure of where the passage would lead them, each of them remained on their guard. Ichigo's hand never left his Zanpaktou as he was determined to get into Aizen's domain and get Hoshiko and Orihime out.

"Ichigo remain calm, going up against Aizen with rage will only get you killed." Ishida stated as he was running beside him

"I am calm." was Ichigo's only answer; his eyes never left the abyss of darkness that they were running towards

"No you're not, I can feel you reiatsu flaring dangerously. I know you want to save Hoshiko and Orihime, but right now you're letting…."

"I know!" Ichigo interrupted him, "I'm focused; I'm not stupid, I know I need to be level headed going in there. But….I can't stop…I have to get them out of there."

"We will," Chad commented, "Have faith that we will get them out together."

Ichigo tried to force thoughts of what was going on in Hueco Mundo to the back of his mind. But he was worried about what was happening to Hoshiko and Orihime. _What if Grimmjow was hurting Hoshiko? What is Aizen ordered them to be….._Shaking his head he gritted his teeth as images of Hoshiko came to mind.

"We're nearing the end." Ishida stated as they all looked towards a shot of light that was getting larger as they reached the end of the tunnel. When they got closer they realized the light was coming from a crack in a wall. Ishida was about to suggest something when Ichigo withdrew his Zanpaktou and cut through it.

"Think you made enough noise?" Ishida sighed, "We're on enemy territory, we shouldn't be so lo…"

"HEY! SHOW YOURSELVES!" Ichigo yelled causing Ishida to cringe

"You idiot what the hell do you think you're doing? Do you want them to find us?" Ishida groaned

"That's the plan; I figure this will go faster if we let them know we're here." Ichigo said

"And what after that?" Ishida asked annoyed by his choice of action

"Then I make the first one I see tell us where they are even if I have to beat it out of them." Ichigo replied

Ishida sighed as he and Chad followed behind him, "We're is everyone? We should have been greeted with a welcoming after Ichigo's announcement." They continued to walk down the corridors; Ichigo was getting frustrated as they had yet to find someone. He was about to make more noise when suddenly someone tackled him. He quickly guarded himself but someone else came behind him and shoulder blocked him sending him into an awaiting fist from his first attacker.

"What the hell?" Ichigo yelled as he held his chin and found who his attackers were, "Rukia? Renji?"

"That was for not waiting for us you idiot!" Rukia snapped narrowing her eyes at him

"How was I supposed to know? You guys were ordered to leave." Ichigo defended

"You really think _that_ would stop us." Renji sighed

"You should have waited." Rukia said reaching a hand out to help him up, "We went looking for you, but Urahara said you left, so we followed you here. I guess somehow we ended up on a different path but ended up in the same place."

"Then we heard your big mouth and found you." Renji added

"Surprised you're the only ones that found us," Ishida commented as Ichigo groaned, "Have you guys been able to find a way out of here yet?"

"Not yet at least; we searched for a bit then heard Ichigo's big mouth." Renji replied

"Then we continue searching." Ichigo stated

"Calm down Ichigo, you sound like Renji." Rukia said as Renji turned his head away

"He's right, we need to continue, Hoshiko can't be in Aizen's possession for too long," Renji said seriously

"We will; we will get both of them back." Rukia replied

"Orihime's not the one I'm worried about." Renji sighed

"What are you saying Renji?" Ichigo asked

"Nothing, we just need to go." Renji replied, he didn't want to waste time talking. The longer Hoshiko was in Aizen's hands the more he could do as he pleased with her.

"What would Aizen do to Hoshiko?" Ichigo asked more demandingly

"…..I don't know I just know it will be worse than what could happen to Orihime." Renji replied

"It will take us sometime getting out of here; you might as well talk Renji. You've known Hoshiko the longest and her life is still a mystery to most of us." Rukia said as Renji sighed

"Aizen has wanted Hoshiko from since she was a rookie Shinigami; he never hid his _interest_ in her and did everything in his power to get her into his squad. But our Taichou wouldn't let him. With Hoshiko being at Aizen's mercy here, there is no telling what he could….or has done to her." Renji explained

Ichigo's fists clinched as he thought about Aizen hurting Hoshiko, if he had even touched her, Ichigo would…."Wait, _our_ Taichou? You and Hoshiko were in the same squad?"

"Yes." Renji replied as Rukia's eyes widened in shock, like everyone else she knew very little about Hoshiko. Her life in Soul Society was erased to her knowledge and no one spoke of her.

"Hoshiko tried to kill her Taichou; that's why she was imprisoned before coming to the real world." Ichigo started as his eyes widened at the realization of who she tried to kill and who hurt her, "She tried to kill Byakuya."

_**Other side of Hueco Mundo**_

_Damita Grotesca_ walked through the halls of Aizen's castle as she tried to find something that would bring back a memory, but so far she was coming up with nothing. The meeting was long over; Aizen gave all the Espada orders except for her, apparently Ulquiorra was in charge of her and he would notify her of any duties. But at the moment he was nowhere to be found. With a sigh she continued walking, slowly feelings of confusion and boredom started to take her over. Her mind started to drift back to all the events that happened to her so far; she still felt weird about Aizen and the other Espadas but he seemed so concerned about her and she knew she should trust him, there was just something that made her feel odd about trusting him. Maybe it was the way that he looked at her; he seemed to always look at her with demanding eyes.

"You lost little girl?" Damita snapped out of her thoughts as she found the owner of the voice

"Who are you?" she asked, he was an Espada, she remembered him from the meeting, but she couldn't remember his name. Looking him over, he was leaning against a wall with a chestier like grin.

"You wound me, you don't even remember the man of your dreams." He teased stepping away from the wall and walking towards her

"What are you talking about?" Damita asked annoyed, she may not remember anything, but she doubted that _he_ was the man of her dreams

"The name is Nnoitora, the fifth Espada. Before your untimely accident, we were practically lovers." He replied

"I don't remember any of that and I would appreciate if you wouldn't try and use my loss of memory to your advantage." She said

"Harsh words, you really think I would do that? You make me feel like a bad person." Nnoitora smiled

"That's because you're an asshole, Nnoitora." They both turned to the person walking up to them

"Grimmjow! What the fuck are you doing here?" Nnoitora asked annoyed by his presence

"You're standing in a hallway that leads to my room, what the fuck you think I'm doing here?" Grimmjow groaned, he was annoyed that the one-eyed-bastard was trying to bother _Hoshiko_; didn't he know that touching her would probably be a death sentence if Aizen found out?

"Then get a move on, sixth Espada, you're interrupting our stroll down memory lane." Nnoitora stated

"Stroll down memory lane on your own time, but you sure you want to mess with _her_?" Grimmjow asked with a warning in his tone. Nnoitora looked Damita over and grunted, Grimmjow was right, the idea of breaking in the newest Espada was fun but the consequences would be life threatening.

"Maybe some other time," Nnoitora replied as he turned to walk away, he glared at Grimmjow before leaving

Sighing Damita looked at Grimmjow, "Arigato, Grimmjow-san." He was shocked, _she remembered my name?_ Grimmjow shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever," he said

"I mean it, arigato for making him go away and for saving me in the world of the living." Damita stated

"Whatever." Grimmjow repeated

"If I caused you any trouble I didn't mean to. I know you had to save me and bring me back here before I was killed. If that is why you are mad with me I…."

"Whatever….you suck and nearly died, so I brought Aizen back his toy. Nothing to thank me for." He interrupted annoyed

"Toy?" Damita asked

"Look I don't have time for this," she watched as he walked past her and ignore any more conversations.

"Grimmjow-san….."Damita sighed as she couldn't figure him out, it seemed as if he had so much anger towards her, yet she didn't know why.

"He just gets crabby when he hasn't had his milk." Damita looked over her shoulder to find two women walking up to her. She wasn't sure who they were and didn't remember seeing their faces at the meeting.

"Do I know you?" she asked

"Oh yeah, we're good friends. I'm Loly and this is Menoly," The raven haired Arrancar replied

"We came to see how you were doing." Menoly said

"I'm fine; still working on my memories but otherwise I'm doing well." Damita replied

"You sure are looking well," Loly stated as she reached out and touched Damita's long silver hair, "Your hair is like strands of pure silver shining brightly."

"A..arigato." Damita felt uncomfortable around the two; despite their words they seemed spiteful.

"Guess you think your hot shit, Zero Espada." Menoly mumbled

"What?" Damita asked, but someone interrupted their conversation

"Hope you girls are playing nice." Gin stated as he walked up to them

"We always do." Loly smiled innocently

"Well Aizen would like to speak with you, Damita. I would escort you but since Loly and Menoly aren't doing anything they can take you." Gin said

"Of course….we'll take her." Loly smirked as Damita narrowed her eyes at her

_**Hueco Mundo**_

The group continued walking as they explored the building, Ichigo continued to ask Renji questions about Hoshiko; he knew her for such a long time that he would be able to answer all those questions that Hoshiko was afraid to answer.

"Why would she try to kill Byakuya-sama?" Rukia asked, she was still confused about the situation. She never knew that Hoshiko was in the sixth squad and couldn't understand why she would try to kill her adopted brother.

"Why would Byakuya shoot lighting through her almost hitting her heart?" Ichigo asked

"It's a long story....." Renji replied

"We have the time." Rukia stated

"Fine, guess I'm the storyteller….." Renji sighed; he figured he should start from the beginning, so they would know the real Hoshiko....

_**~Flash Back: Centuries ago in Soul Society~**_

_She was running past people like a bat out of hell; her long raven locks whipped through the wind as she wouldn't stop until she reached her destination. If she was late again, she would surely be fired. It wasn't her fault though; she always had to make a few stops before she went to work. This was her first real job in months and there was no way she was losing this one. Picking up the pace she inhaled deeply as Jin's House of Nihonshu (Sake) was only a mere block away. When she reached the door, she was startled as it was pushed open and a guy was tossed out. Not having time to move she fell backwards with the drunken man on top of her. With a groan she pushed him off and found her boss narrowing his eyes at her,_

"_HOSHIKO! I swear you will be late for you own funeral!" Jin yelled as he annoyingly stretched out his hand to help her up. Hoshiko dusted off her dress and meekly smiled at him_

"_Sorry?" She mused. After a few moments he sighed and pushed the door open for her_

"_You're lucky you keep business coming in for me with your pretty face otherwise I would find some other out of work woman." Jin commented, "But listen up, there are a few Shinigami here tonight, it's their usual sit in to see how things are going in the neighborhood. So get to work, they'll be ordering soon."_

"_Hai!" Hoshiko said as she hurried inside and went in the back of room to get her apron and trays. She had only been working for Jin for a few months but she had adapted to its environment quickly. Because they were located in a rough part of Rukongai, Shinigami normally came in a couple of nights during the week to make sure everything was up and up. Jin usually got rid of trouble makers himself but with a few recent murders, Soul Society would rather keep things under control than have it get out of hand. _

"_Hoshiko, the Shinigami table is ready to order." Jin yelled as she nodded and headed in the direction of the table. Before she reached it, a guy stopped her and held onto her apron. _

"_Hey its pretty girl, I swear one of these days I'm going to marry you and get you out of this place. You're way to pretty and nice to be around these parts." He said with a slur. Hoshiko still smiled and took his compliment. She had waited on him a few times and he was honestly a nice guy who just happened to have a drinking problem. Jin said she trusted too easily, truth was she just understood what it was like to find a friend at the end of a bottle. Growing up with nothing and around the wrong people, she knew why men like him acted the way they did. _

"_Thank you, I'll come back and see how you are doing. I have to tend to some more customers." Hoshiko stated as she smiled at him and slowly walked over to the table. Last time she interacted with Shinigami they were about to arrest her. Before Jin hired her she did what she had to do for herself, even if it meant stealing. Oddly enough she met Jin while attempting to rob his shop. He stopped her and instead of calling the authorities he offered her a job and a chance to make money without having to steal. At first she thought he was crazy but he was a man of his word. Putting on a smile as she reached the table, soon all of the men turned their heads and looked at her_

"_Good evening, my name is Hoshiko and I'll be serving you tonight." _

"_You must be new, when did Jin start having pretty barmaids? The last one looked like a Hollow spit her up." A bald Shinigami stated as he smiled at Hoshiko. She couldn't help but notice how the light shined off his head, it was almost blinding._

"_She's not appalling at least." Another one said, he had a few feathers in his hair_

"_Arigato,…. I think." Hoshiko mumbled, "Are you gentlemen ready to order?"_

"_Jin knows how we take the usual sake. It should be a good start." The bald one said as they all seem to nod in agreement. Hoshiko noticed one of them looking at her closely, at first she wondered if there was something wrong with her. But soon she found herself looking at him as well. He had bright red hair that was sticking up like a pineapple, tribal tattoos seemed to be all over his body but Hoshiko couldn't help but look into his eyes. They were a beautiful crimson color. She soon snapped out of her daze and smiled at them, _

"_I'll go get that for you, be back in a second." She replied and turned to leave_

"_Hey Renji you done staring at her?"_

"_What?" Renji asked as he looked at his bald headed friend_

"_You heard me, you're staring at her like a hungry man stares at a hot meal. It seems to me that she was looking at you too, you should say something." _

"_I don't know what you're talking about Ikkaku." Renji replied_

"_Please, it's obvious." Ikkaku commented, "But I suggest that you make a move, cause it looks like new blood is checking her out to."_

"_Huh?" The guy called new blood asked returning his attention back to the table. He wasn't sure what they were talking about until he heard his nickname called. He had been a new comer to the sixth squad and this was the first time he was asked to join his Fukutaichou Renji on patrol with Ikkaku and Yumichika. _

"_I caught you looking at her as well." Yumichika stated _

"_I guess I was." New blood replied as he watched Hoshiko slowly make her way back to the table with their Sake. How could he not look at her, she was beautiful. Even in a worn-out purple kimono she looked breathtaking. _

"_You going to let the new kid get her first?" Ikkaku asked_

"_I'm not interested in her." Renji sighed_

"_Look I know Rukia is away on mission and you're probably feeling like a lost puppy, but there is nothing wrong with having more friends. Besides, you can actually play with this friend and remember were you placed your balls." Ikkaku teased, he knew Renji hadn't been involved with anyone for a long time and for whatever reason he chose to be by himself. But he knew this young girl had caught his interest so why not see what could come out of it._

"_Whatever, Ikkaku." Renji commented as Hoshiko returned and placed the tray of sake on their table_

"_Here we go, Jin made these especially; he said it's just the way you like it." Hoshiko placed the pot and cups down then found herself looking into the pair of crimson eyes again._

"_Hey, Hoshiko?" she snapped her head towards the person speaking with her, it was the bald man, "You don't seem like a normal girl from around here. Where did Jin find you? Cause you don't look anything like the normal "princesses" that he digs up from the dirt."_

"_I'm actually from the 78th district of Rukongai." Hoshiko replied as Renji's headed snapped up_

"_I was born there." Renji said, "I grew up in the South Alleys"_

"_Inuzuri?" Hoshiko beamed as Renji nodded. Ikkaku was proud of himself, here he was playing match maker and all he did was ask one question. Hopefully Renji would take the inch he gave him and go a yard with it. The two continued to talk until Hoshiko was called to tend to another table._

"_Glad to see your balls are coming back." Ikkaku stated as he drank some sake_

"_We just talked; it was a small conversation about growing up in the same place." Renji replied_

"_Then make it a bigger conversation. She seems nice, I mean after growing up in the 78th district of Rukongai, she doesn't seem anywhere as mean as you. So I guess she got a good deal out of there." Yumichika said_

"_Why do I even listen to you guys?" Renji sighed pouring some sake _

"_Because if you did you wouldn't see the problem in talking to a young woman." Ikkaku replied_

"_He's right. She sure is pretty, I mean sorry Fukutaichou but if you don't go after her I will." new blood stated as Ikkaku narrowed his eyes at him _

"_Maybe Renji is nervous he is out of his league," Yumichika commented, "She does appear to be too nice for the likes of Renji."_

"_Bullshit, she has to have an edge to her. If she is from the 78th district of Rukongai there is no way any woman makes it out of there without having some kind of edge to her. She just probably hides it better." Ikkaku replied as he took another cup of sake_

"_He's right, there are only two ways out of that district and one of them puts you six feet under." Renji sighed; he glanced at Hoshiko who was pouring drinks for a table across from them. He couldn't help watch her, perhaps Ikkaku was right, he should…_

"_Looks Hoshiko has a few more admirers." Yumichika stated snapping Renji out of his thoughts. Turning his attention towards another table, Renji noticed a few men talking with her but by her expression something was wrong. One of the men playfully grabbed Hoshiko's apron but she brushed him off. When he couldn't get the hint, he reached out for her arm and tried to pull her towards him. Hoshiko tried yanking her hand away but he had a tight grip on her. Just as Renji stood, he widened his eyes as Hoshiko raised her hand and slapped the man hard across the face. With a groan he let her go and Hoshiko stepped away from him_

"_Stupid girl!" the man yelled, angrily he stood up and was about to raise a hand to her when,_

"_Cool it Raito! Shinigami are here," another man commented as he motioned to the table not too far from them, the man named Raito looked at Renji and the rest of them then back at Hoshiko,_

"_You're lucky girl." He said as he slowly sat back down. Hoshiko sighed and picked up the trays before heading towards the kitchen. She hated men like that, the ones that felt they could do anything they wanted. It was men like him that made her leave the 78__th__ district. They treated her like thrash and made her feel lower than dirt. _

"_Night is going pretty well," Hoshiko looked up to find Jin standing beside her_

"_I guess." She sighed_

"_Don't let that guy get to you, he doesn't have the balls to do something with Shinigami here. Besides, if he did he would be missing an arm." He commented as he gestured to a katana he kept in the kitchen. She knew Jin was not just your typical shop owner. He had secrets and a past just like anyone else. _

"_I fear for the man that crosses you." Hoshiko teased_

"_I fear for the man the crosses you. You got one heck of a hand there." Jin replied_

"_So I've been told." She said, "I think the Shinigami table needs more sake." _

"_If Ikkaku grew a strand of hair for every drink he had he would have a mane down to his back." Jin sighed_

"_Who are the rest of them?" Hoshiko asked, she had been so busy talking with them that it never occurred to ask them for their names. Especially his name, she was so busy talking to him about growing up in the same place that she forgot to ask for him name._

"_Well, feathers is Yumichika; he and Ikkaku are good friends and they both are from squad eleven. Not sure who the kid is, but the pineapple is Renji from squad six," Jin replied, "Hmm I'm surprised Rukia isn't with them? She and Renji are usually together."_

"_Rukia?" she asked_

"_Kuchiki Rukia; the adopted sister of squad six Taichou Kuchiki Byakuya, she and Renji are like twins, I have never seen them apart." He replied_

"_Kuchiki….the noble?" Hoshiko gasped_

"_Yup, she is pretty much a noble too." Jin said as he prepared the tray of sake for her_

"_Oh," she mumbled she didn't need Jin to fill in the blanks; Rukia was probably Renji's girlfriend. And if she was a noble, there was no way he would look twice at her. She was a peasant and her past wasn't exactly pretty. Before working for Jin she was a common thief, at a time she had even tried to steal from Jin. But instead of handing her over, he decided to give her a more constructive way of using her hands. Through him she didn't have to steal and could be a different person._

"_Here ya go," he said as he handed her the tray, "Tell Ikkaku to take it easy on the sake."_

"…_...Sure." she replied sounding somewhat sad. Walking over to the table, she couldn't even look at Renji. She couldn't get lost in his eyes, why did every nice guy have to be taken. He seemed so nice and Hoshiko wanted to get to know him. But he was taken by Rukia._

"_Finally more sake," Ikkaku beamed_

"_Jin requested that you take it easy on the sake." Hoshiko said, Renji was looking at her trying to making eye contact, but she never gave him more than a glance. After she was done with their table, she went to tend to other tables._

"_Seems like she's lost interest in you. Perhaps she realized you're just a funny looking pineapple." Yumichika teased_

"_Whatever." Renji replied, he was hoping to talk with Hoshiko some more. But maybe Yumichika was right, she lost interest in him or maybe she never was interested in him. With a sigh Renji continued to drink from his cup and try to enjoy a night off with his friends. Because they were there, nothing major happened in Jin's shop; a few drunken men were tossed out but that was usual. After a few hours, Jin decided to close the shop._

"_Arigato for the sake Jin." Ikkaku stated as he stood up from the table_

"_Not a problem, I'll see you gentlemen again. Take it easy." Jin replied_

"_Later Jin," Renji said, "Goodbye Hoshiko." Hoshiko looked towards them and half smiled. When he and the rest left Jin closed the door behind them._

"_Something wrong?" Jin asked as he noticed Hoshiko's slump attitude_

"_Nothing, I guess it was just a long night." Hoshiko replied……….._

_**~Las Noches~**_

Damita walked with Loly and Menoly cautiously, she wasn't sure what their intentions were but they were talking behind her back. They were headed to Aizen's quarters, she wondered why he summoned her hopefully she wasn't in trouble. She couldn't deal with more bad things happening to her right now. When they reached the door, Loly opened it and Menoly ushered Damita it.

"Aizen-sama, we have brought Damita to you at Gin-Sama's request." Loly smiled

"Arigato," Aizen stated as he looked Damita over, "Please don't be so nervous. I just wish to speak with you and see how you are doing." Damita slowly stepped towards him, she could feel Loly's eyes burning in the back of her. Aizen noticed that she was uncomfortable and it was because of Loly and Menoly, "You two may excuse yourself,"

"But Aizen-sama are you sure you want us to leave you here with her?" Loly asked somewhat annoyed

"As much as I appreciate your concern, I suggest you not question who I keep in my company." Aizen warned as he narrowed his eyes at the two of them and released some spiritual pressure in the room. She and Menoly quickly bowed and apologized to him. Within seconds they left the room and Damita looked at him fearful.

"Should I fear you as well?" she asked, the fear in Menoly and Loly couldn't be hidden

"Of course not. You should never fear me; in fact I would hope for the opposite of that emotion. I wish for you to trust me and even possibly…." Aizen paused and looked down at her

"Possibly what?" Damita asked

"….Nothing." he sighed, "Here I am about to ramble with you. When I invited you here to talk about how you are feeling and how everyone is treating you." Aizen took her hand and lead her over to a couch. Damita slowly sat down and placed her hands in her lap.

"I suppose everything is going well," she smiled

"There is no need to lie to me." Aizen stated

"…..I'm not sure who was my friends here, I know I should feel safe and comfortable around my fellow Arrancars but I don't." Damita said

"I understand I don't expect you to trust easily after your injuries. I know it will take time for you to adjust and feel welcome here. But please, don't fear your surroundings. I would never let any harm come to you." he replied

"You must really love your creations to care so much about them." She commented

"I try to, but I tend to spend more attention on others when it is needed." He smiled. Even though his words were warming, his thoughts were filled with lust. He knew Hoshiko was still new to everything and he had to play along. But how long would he have to wait to have her? She looked timid and fragile, unlike her true self. But he still had the desires of making her want him and beg for him to take her.

"Aizen-sama?" Damita asked as she noticed he was looking at her oddly

"My apologies, I was lost in my thoughts." He laughed lightly

"I wanted to know when I would be able to get back into what I normally did here. Such as training and tending to my duties as an Arrancar." She asked

"So quick to get back into action, are you sure you want to?" Aizen asked in return

"Hai," She replied

"I would rather you take things easy, but I know it would be best to do as you requested so I can monitor your training without worrying of you doing so without my consistent." He sighed, "I will request Ulquiorra to train with you so we can see what skills you have retained."

"Is it possible to have someone else train me?" Damita asked hesitantly

"Such as?" Aizen asked in return

"….Grimmjow." she replied, she wasn't sure why Grimmjow acted the way he did but maybe training with him would force him to open up with her. After all he did save her life so he must care. Maybe he was angry with her and she just needed to find out why

"Grimmjow?" he paused at the thought, the idea didn't sit well with him, but he had to please her request, "As you wish, however I will allow Ulquiorra to watch over your training."

"Arigato, Aizen-sama." Damita smiled happily as she stood up from the couch

"You're leaving? And I was enjoying your company." Aizen said

"I thought you may have wanted to be alone." She replied

"I would rather not, especially with you being in my company," he commented as he held his hand out for her, Damita tensed up, he knew that he was pushing too hard. She would come around eventually, he just had to play the nice guy, "However, I know you have had a long day. So I suggest you get some rest. Grimmjow will start training with you soon."

"Arigato again, Aizen-sama." Damita stated as she bowed and exited the room. Aizen watched as she left and soon sighed in frustration. He figured she wouldn't allow him to take her easily, but a man could dream. Closing his eyes he became lost in thoughts of her. How he envied Byakuya for having her.

"Excuse me Aizen-sama." Aizen opened his eyes to find Ulquiorra standing in the doorway, "There is a problem."

_**~Flash Back~**_

"_Well, I guess you did work your butt off tonight. After you're done with the tables, you can head home." He said_

"_Thanks Jin." She replied, not like she was in a rush to go home. Wasn't like there was anything going on there; it was just plain walls and emptiness. When the last table was clean, Hoshiko took off her apron and hung it up._

"_Done? Well I'll see you tomorrow." Jin stated_

"_Have a good night Jin." Hoshiko replied then left the shop. It was still pretty dark out as the sun had yet to rise; luckily her home wasn't too far away. When she started working for Jin, he gave her some money to get a proper home. It was small and pretty bare but it was a roof over her head. Jin seemed liked an asshole to some, but deep down he had a good heart. And it was rare that Hoshiko found someone like that. About three blocks away from her home, Hoshiko felt someone walking up behind her. She knew better than to panic, she had to give them the idea she was unaware of them. When the person was right behind her, she swung around and aimed to hit them. Her eyes widened when the person grabbed her wrist and stopped her. It was Raito from the shop_

"_Your luck has run out girl." Hoshiko tried to pull away from him but the grip was too strong_

"_Let me go!" she yelled. He had an evil smile on his face as he released her and suddenly shoved her to the ground. Hoshiko rolled away from him and turned to run but she was face to face with some of his friends. _

"_No Shinigami here this time, you want to try hitting me again?" Raito teased, they all started to corner her and Hoshiko started screaming and tried to push them away. When one raised his hand to her chest she panicked and kneed him in the groin. He groaned and fell to the ground, ripping the top part of her dress as he fell. She tried to use the opportunity to run, but was hit in the face by Raito. Hoshiko fell to the ground in pain as spots of blood fell to the ground. Raito walked over to her and kicked her in the stomach. She yelled in pain as all they did was laugh. _

"_You should have never raised your hand to me bitch," Raito pulled a knife out and slowly walked over to Hoshiko. She attempted to move away from him, but her wounds were slowing her down. Just as he stood in front of her, she prepared herself for what was about to happen. His hand raised and she closed her eyes. After a few moments she realized nothing hit her. Is he playing with me? She wondered, soon her eyes opened and what she saw surprised her. A blade was pressed against Raitio's neck. Looking at the owner her eyes widened, it was a Shinigami; it was the young man at the table they called "new blood". He stood behind Raito with a Zanpaktou at the base of his neck. _

"_I wouldn't do that if I were you," the young Shinigami stated, Hoshiko watched as the wind suddenly picked up and swirled around them. _

"_This is none of your business Shinigami," Raito said_

"_I think it is. You seem pretty tough beating up on a woman, how about trying that with me?" He dared, Raito's friends tried to sneak up behind him but he shunpoed away and before Hoshiko knew what was going on, he was picking her up and placing her out of danger. _

"_Son of a bitch! I want that Shinigami dead!" Raito yelled, all of his friends pulled out weapons and prepared to fight_

"_You will regret your decision," he said, "Make them suffer, Lanius." Hoshiko watched as his Zanpaktou turned into a long chain with a blade attached at the end. When the men advanced on him, she lost track of his movements as he became a blur. He shunpoed and attacked so quickly that it was difficult to see him, all she saw was Raito's friends being slashed and hitting the ground. After a few moments, Raito was the only one left and he had dropped his knife in a truce._

"_Look, gomennasai, I didn't mean to take it this far." Raito pleaded_

"_I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Raito turned to find a chain wrapped around his neck, Hoshiko gasped as his head was nearly taken off, she couldn't witness this,_

"_Stop!" she yelled, suddenly they both looked at her, "Don't kill him, I'm not worth it. Just let him go, please." She hated killing and couldn't watch Raito get beheaded right in front of her. No matter how she felt about him, he didn't deserve to die because of her. _

"_Release your hold Lanius," Hoshiko watched as the chain unwrapped itself and fell loosely to the ground. Raito quickly ran and left his unconscious friends on the ground. Looking up, she found the Zanpaktou turning back to normal. The young Shinigami sheath his weapon and walked up to her._

"_Are you alright?" he asked as he kneeled down in front of her, she looked at him closely. He had dark green eyes, shaggy blonde hair with a few strands covering his eyes and he was tall with an athletic build. His hand reached out and pushed strands of her hair out of her eyes as he examined her face. Trickles of blood hardened around her mouth, "You need to get bandaged up. Is anything broken?"_

"_I don't think so…"Hoshiko replied, "Why did you save me?"_

"_I wouldn't call it saving, clearly I came too late. I had a feeling that incident at the shop didn't go over well with them. So I wanted to make sure you were alright. I followed them for a while, then Raito took a few of his friends to find you. I lost track of them briefly but luckily I found them before…..I apologize for my delay." He replied_

"_Please don't, you saved me that's all that matters. I don't want to think what would have happened if you didn't show up." She stated. He continued to examine her wounds and suddenly his eyes landed in her exposed skin. Embarrassed, Hoshiko covered herself and looked away from him, "I should go home."_

"_You should be examined for any other injuries." He stated_

"_I'm fine; I just need to forget about this." Hoshiko said attempting to stand. He helped her rise to her feet and watched as she cringed in pain_

"_I would really like for you to seek medical assistance." _

"_It's just a few bruises, I have had worse done." She tried to laugh_

"_Will you allow me to at least walk you home?" he asked, Hoshiko nodded and began to walk towards her home with him. When they reached her home, she stopped at the door and looked up at him. She was slightly ashamed to open the door. Her home was so empty and as a Shinigami he was probably used to seeing better. _

"_Do you have anything to tend to your wounds?" he asked_

"_I believe so." She replied_

"_May I come in and help? Since you refuse to get medical help, I can at least assist in tending to your wounds." he said, Hoshiko was about to refuse but there was no use, he was determined to help her. Opening her door she waited for him to say something about it. But all he did was look for a bowl and started filling it with hot water. She showed him were alcohol and other things were then he instructed her to sit down. Hoshiko sat down at her small table and watched as he soaked a cloth in the bowl. Walking over to the table he started to wipe her mouth and remove the dried blood and dirt off her skin. She cringed as the cloth passed over the cut on her lip. _

"_Gomennasai," he said as he continued to clean her up. When her face was clean and the bruises on her mouth were tended to he took the bowl over to the sink to dispose of the bloody water. _

"_Arigato, you didn't have to do this." Hoshiko said_

"_It's fine, I'm not a medic but I know a few people in the medical squad plus growing up I dealt with a lot of busted lips." He replied with a laugh, "But someone like you shouldn't have to deal with those kinds of things." _

"_If only the world was that way." She laughed. _

"_If you're alright, I should report back. Plus I need to notify my Fukutaichou about what happened." He commented walking towards the door, Hoshiko stood up and walked with him. _

"_Arigato again." She said_

"_No problem, if you like I'll be patrolling around the area later. I can see how you are doing." He replied_

"_I would appreciate that only if it's not too much trouble." Hoshiko commented_

"_For you it wouldn't be, Hoshiko." He said as she watched as the moon's light shined in his eyes. _

"_I never even learned your name." she commented_

"_It's Shinjo Seiichi." He replied_


	34. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

Ulquiorra quietly left Aizen's room; after informing him of the presence of Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends he decided to speak with Damita. As he was walking he was surprised to run into Kiyomi,

"Good evening Kiyomi," he stated standing in front of her now, she looked up at him and locked his eyes with hers

"Good evening Ulquiorra." Kiyomi smiled as her eyes glowed, "What were you and Aizen talking about?"

"He requires me to watch over Damita's training with Grimmjow; I believe he wants to see what his experiment is capable of." Ulquiorra replied

"What did you tell him?" she asked

"I agreed of course and also informed him that Kurosaki Ichigo and others are within Hueco Mundo." He replied

"Has he made any orders in regards to their arrival?" she continued to ask

"No, he will have a meeting with the other Espadas later." He replied, "Now I must ask, is she okay? I don't recall anything that's happened from the last time I saw her."

"Orihime is fine, nothing has happened to her and she is unaware of anything going on. I felt it would be better that way until the appropriate time." Kiyomi replied

"Arigato," Ulquiorra said as he closed his eyes for a second, "If there is nothing else you need, I must resume to my duties."

"Understood and arigato for your time," she nodded as her eyes glowed once again

"Good evening Kiyomi, is everything alright with you?" Ulquiorra asked forgetting the conversation that just occurred between the two of them

"Yes, everything is fine Ulquiorra. I was just on my way to my room."Kiyomi replied as he nodded and continued to Damita's room.

_**~Damita's Room~**_

Damita was lying in her bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. She was trying to remember but still nothing came to mind. _Why is this so hard? Nothing is familiar and no matter how hard I try I can't remember anything or anyone_, she thought. Sighing she closed her eyes and thought over all that happened so far. Everyone seemed like they knew her and in some way cared about her; Aizen was patient and seemed to care for her wellbeing the most. Although Grimmjow did seem concerned when Nnoitora was bothering her, he seemed so different compared to everyone else. _Aizen said he saved me from near death yet he ignores me when I tried to talk with him. It's like I did something to him. You don't save someone you don't care about so why is he so distant?_

"Having sweet dreams?" Damita quickly snapped open her eyes to see Loly standing above her

"What are you doing in my room?" Damita yelled

"Relax, I just want to talk. I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier," Loly stated as she sat down on the bed, Damita moved to the other side of the bed, "No need for that. I'm not here to hurt you, just talk."

"Then talk." Damita said still watching her closely

Loly smiled and reached out to toy with a strand of her silver hair, "I really do love your hair, it's so beautiful. Does Aizen-Sama play with it?"

"What? Of course not!" Damita replied slapping her hand away

"He probably wants to, along with other things," Loly smirked, "Look, I came here to talk with you because I miss my friend. You need to remember who you are and I'm willing to help you. I mean after all were besties. "

"Besties?" Damita asked

"Best friends; you, Menoly and myself. We were best friends until of course you forgot about us." Loly pretended to be hurt as she reached a hand out for her, "

"….My apologizes to both of you." Damita commented, she still wasn't sure about how sincere she was, but without her memory anything could be possible.

"No need, we're just happy to have you back, in fact we wanted to celebrate you waking up from your sleep." Loly smiled

"And how were you planning to celebrate, Loly?" both women turned to find Ulquiorra standing in the doorway

"Ulquiorra!" Loly cringed

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I have matters with Damita." He stated looking down at Loly. She knew better than to challenge him, she only nodded and left the room quickly. Relaxing a little, Damita looked at Ulquiorra and slightly smiled

"Have you come to greet me like everyone else?" she teased

"I wish not to disturb you; I'm here because Aizen-Sama has informed me that you want to train." He replied

"Yes I do. Perhaps training will help in gaining back some of my lost memories." She said

"Understood, since you are my Fracción I would rather I train with you, but at your request Grimmjow will be training you." Ulquiorra stated

"Arigato," Damita smiled

"I will let you rest; training will begin in a few hours." He said before turning to leave her room. She watched him then laid back down on her bed. Again she was probably saved from Loly's "acts of friendship". Damita wasn't sure what the girl was planning or what her intentions were, but like earlier they couldn't be good.

**~Flash Back~**

_Hoshiko woke up with a few sore ribs and a swollen lip, but she would live thanks to Seiichi. She thought about him last night, it was amazing how he fought; he was so agile and skilled. Yet when he tended to her wounds he was so gentle and kind. Sighing, she started to get ready for the day. After bathing, she dressed in a blue kimono and pulled her hair back in a ponytail. Looking herself over in a mirror she hated how her face looked. Maybe I should stay home today? She looked like she had been in a battle. Hopefully no one would ask her questions and just ignore it. Swallowing her pride, she left her home and made her way to Jin's shop. It was early so there would be few people. When she arrived, Jin was working in the kitchen area. As she entered he looked up at her and had a disgusted look on his face,_

"_Who did this to you?" He yelled, there was that fatherly tone that he used whenever something happened to her. _

"_Raito and a few of his friends attacked me last night," Hoshiko replied_

"_I'll kill him!" Jin stated angrily_

"_Please, it's okay. One of the Shinigami from last night saved me and Raito and his friends will have to deal with Soul Society for their actions." She replied_

"_Are you alright? Did they hurt you anywhere else?" he asked concern_

"_No, I was saved before any severe damage." She replied_

"_Who saved you? Ikkaku? Renji?" Jin asked_

"_Seiichi." She replied_

"_Seiichi? Who the hell is that?" he asked_

"_The young looking Shinigami." Hoshiko replied_

"_The kid? Well, I guess I owe him a round of sake next time he comes here." Jin sighed, "Look if you want to take the day off, I understand. I can handle things here." _

"_I'm fine." She said, suddenly her stomach growled. Hoshiko blushed embarrassed_

_He sighed, "You don't have much to eat at home do you?" Jin sorted through his pockets and gave her some money, "Here, get yourself some food and take the day off. Relax at home, you had a long night."_

"_Are you sure Jin?" Hoshiko asked, she hated taking money from Jin but he was always a life saver_

"_Yeah, get going before I change my mind. I'll see you later kid." He replied_

"_Arigato." She smiled before hugging him and leaving the shop. Now that she had the day off, she didn't know what to do. She was hungry and there was barely anything in her home to eat. As she walked through town, people stared at her and gave her odd looks. She felt self conscious, and thought she should just go home. But the growl in her stomach said otherwise._

"_Sounds like you could use a good meal." Hoshiko turned to find the person speaking to her and was surprised to find Seiichi walking up to her._

"_Seiichi?" Hoshiko smiled_

"_Hey beautiful," Seiichi smiled back at her_

"_Not sure if that name fits be today." She sighed_

"_I think it does, probably fits you every day." He replied_

"_People are looking at me weird." She mumbled_

"_Then let them, they have nothing better to do." Seiichi said, "I had some free time while I was ordered to patrol the area. A few of Raito's friends are missing and my Fukutaichou wants me to bring them in. I figured since I was in the area I would check on you. Jin said you were headed into the market for food, so I decided to look for you." _

"_And here you found me." Hoshiko replied_

"_Well I know you're hungry, so how about we get you something to eat? My treat." He offered_

"_I don't want to take you away from your duties." She stated_

"_Its fine, besides helping a lady in distress is a priority as well." She smiled. Soon they were headed off to the Sushi Tei, a local sushi bar. Hoshiko was so hungry that she didn't care what they ate as long as there was food in her stomach. Sitting down, Hoshiko watched Seiichi closely; his hair was covering his face only allowing her to see parts of his face and glimpses of his bright green eyes._

"_You look like you want to ask me something." Seiichi said_

"_Sorry for staring." Hoshiko blushed_

"_I don't mind," he replied_

"_It's just your eyes are beautiful." She commented_

"_Arigato," Seiichi said as he ate from his plate, _

"_I feel odd eating with a Shinigami." She mused _

"_Doesn't it bother you that I am a Shinigami?" he asked_

"_No, it's just that I have never really dealt with Shinigami much. I'm usually overlooked by them, even though I was…." She stopped herself as she realized she was about to tell him that she was a former thief. _

"_I don't judge, I can't I'm nowhere near perfect. Plus, I figured you were a thief from how you handled yourself last night." Seiichi said_

"_How?" Hoshiko asked_

"_No normal woman defends herself like you. Plus you're from the 78th district; I have never met a woman from that area that didn't have a good right hand or survival skills." He replied_

"_Does that offend you?" she asked nervous_

"_No, not at all. I respect you and frankly I find a strong woman attractive." Seiichi said looking her in the eyes. Hoshiko turned away from how intense his stare was._

"_Sorry, guess I can't help staring at you." He said_

"_It's fine, just not used to it. Normally the only stares I get are ones of disgust or hate." Hoshiko replied_

"_Why, you're beautiful. I mean a woman like you should be used to being admired." Seiichi said_

"_I guess, but I normally get admired by the local drunks that come to the shop. So I don't take much interest in it." she replied_

"_Well how about the admiration of a Shinigami?" Seiichi asked _

"_I would have to adapt to that." Hoshiko teased_

"_Well there is a first for everything." He smiled. The day continued on with them talking and learning things about each other. Hoshiko learned he wanted to be a Shinigami so he could make lives better for people like her. He had dreams of becoming a Taichou one day and having a family to be proud of him. She explained to him that she wanted to let her past go and eventually make some kind of name for herself besides being a peasant. Maybe one day be a wife; have a husband that loved her for who she was and be the wife he always dreamed of. Hoshiko didn't know how it happened but she was growing feelings for Seiichi, he was good to her and made her feel wanted. Hours went by and she forgot that he had duties to attend to. _

"_Time goes by really fast," Seiichi commented as he looked outside and saw that it was already dark_

"_We have been here for hours, doesn't feel like it though." Hoshiko smiled_

"_I should walk you home." Seiichi said as he slowly stood up, he walked over to her side of the table and helped her to her feet. _

"_Arigato." Just as Hoshiko was about to pay for her meal, Seiichi waved his hand to dismiss her actions_

"_This was my treat, remember?" he stated_

"_But, you have done enough." She commented_

"_I want to, it's only right. Beside you should save what you have to fill your home with food. I took notice how bare your cabinets were. No wonder you were so hungry." Seiichi said as he paid for their meal, Hoshiko was somewhat embarrassed that he saw the limited contents of her home. Walking towards the door, he opened it for her. Once outside everything was surprisingly quiet and the moon was out again. _

"_There is no need to be embarrassed about not having food. Trust me I know what that's like. Plus I would like to think of this outing as a possible…..date…..so isn't it right that I pay for dinner?" Seiichi stated with a shy expression._

"_Date?" Hoshiko pondered to herself_

"_That's if you want it to be one." He replied while running his hand through his hair._

"…_.I would." She replied_

"_Great!" he sighed relieved he didn't push the subject, "If you're not tired, I wouldn't mind taking the long way home with you, just to walk and talk some more." _

"_That sounds nice, I would like that." She replied. Seiichi smiled, they started walking towards another direction. The route would lead them past a lake and with the moon out, Seiichi figured it would be a nice view. When Hoshiko saw the reflection of them and the moon over the lake, she felt like she was in a fairytale; it was too beautiful to be real. Smiling she looked up at Seiichi and watched how his eyes picked up the light from the moon. _

"_You're always looking into my eyes," Seiichi said_

"_It's just their just so beautiful, like emeralds." Hoshiko commented_

"_That's probably the nicest comment I have heard about them." He laughed_

"_That can't be true." She replied_

"_Growing up, my mother could never look into them. She said they represented all of her sins." He sighed_

"_How?" she asked surprised_

"_Well at first I thought there was something wrong with me, but I learned at an early age that she had an affair with another man. When I was born, my should have been father was angered that his only son had the eyes of another man. So he left her and she blamed me for it." Seiichi replied. Hoshiko couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could he be blamed for something he didn't do? What kind of mother would take her mistake out on an innocent child?_

"_Gomennasai," Hoshiko said_

"_I've gotten over it years ago," he commented_

"_Is that why you let your hair cover your eyes?" she asked as he smirked_

"_I tried to hide them from her and everyone else. I thought if she felt that way, others probably did too." Hoshiko stopped walking and stood in front of him. Seiichi abruptly stopped and looked down at her, he wondered what was wrong but she suddenly placed a hand on his cheek and used the other to push his hair back. The action caught him off guard, he tried to turn his head, but she wouldn't allow him to._

"_I think your eyes are beautiful, just like you." she stated, Seiichi raised his hand to hers and locked eyes with her. _

"_You're making this hard for me," Seiichi whispered_

"_What?" Hoshiko asked_

"_I'm not supposed to like you this much." He replied_

"_Maybe that's a good thing." She stated_

"_Not when you're me." He sighed suddenly_

"_I think I should be the one using that line." Hoshiko smirked_

"_How so?" Seiichi asked confused_

"_You seem like a fairytale; my knight in shining armor. That never happens to me I never get the good guy," she replied_

"_Well, maybe I can be your good guy. If you let me," he kept their eyes locked, it was as if they had both entranced the other and could not break free. Seiichi slowly leaned down and aligned his lips to hers. Hoshiko wanted to kiss him, but she couldn't. She liked him, but she just met him and as nice as he seemed, maybe he was too good to be true. She moved her lips away and blushed as he whispered to her,_

"_I don't bite." Seiichi gently touched her chin and tried to make her face him_

"_I can't….gomennasai." Hoshiko said_

"_Its fine, I won't rush you," he replied, "You're worth the wait."_

"_Arigato." She stated_

"_Well I should get you home and back to my post." Seiichi said, soon they both were walking in the direction of her home. Hoshiko felt good knowing that Seiichi wasn't mad she didn't kiss him. As they walked he held her hand in his and all she could do was smile at how warm he made her feel. When they reached her home, she kissed his cheek and said goodnight. _

_Seiichi sighed as he shunpoed away only to end up on a rooftop to overlook the town._

"_Was wondering how long you were going to play boyfriend?" a voice asked approaching him_

"_Since when the fuck do I have to report to you, Hitoshi?" Seiichi said slightly annoyed_

"_I've been waiting for you, what took you so long?" Hitoshi asked_

"_We took the scenic route." Seiichi replied running his hand through his hair_

"_Aren't you the romantic," Hitoshi smirked, "Are you getting anywhere with her? Hope she is worth wasting time on." He went in his pockets and found a cigarette, before replying Seiichi gestured for it. With a sigh he gave it to him and lit it. _

"_I'm moving slowly with her, I'll have her full trust soon. It takes time with her, but don't worry I didn't forget about my task in Soul Society." Seiichi said as he exhaled smoke_

"_I was worried you got side tracked. Kuchiki Byakuya isn't going to kill himself." Hitoshi commented_

"_Stop your fucking complaining, it annoys me. I didn't get into Soul Society for the view; I know what I have to do already. Byakuya is practically already dead I just need to bring his head back to the Yogran family. Once it is done, they can take back their rightful place. And I can get out of this costume." Seiichi stated_

"_They must really trust you with this mission." Hitoshi said_

"_They trust me because I'm the only one capable of getting into squad six with the help of….a few friends in high places." Smirking Seiichi took the cigarette out of his mouth_

"_Then why waste time with some girl?" Hitoshi sighed_

_Seiichi groaned and suddenly shunpoed in front of him, grabbing his neck Hitoshi couldn't even react as he was slammed down to the ground, "How many times have I told to never question me?" Seiichi took his cigarette and brought it up to Hitoshi's face._

"_I'm just saying…." _

"_It would be best to not say anything. I haven't played with someone in a while, so I'm feeling a bit of with drawl." Seiichi interrupted him, he slowly ran the cigarette over Hitoshi's cheek and watched with sick amusement as the man gritted his teeth, "You can scream, doesn't make you less of a man."_

"_Get off me you sick fuck!" Hitoshi yelled as Seiichi smirked_

"_Whatever, you're not fun to me anyway." Seiichi rose up and threw the cigarette away_

"_Just make you sure you do as Yogran says. Sick bastard I never could understand your games with peasants." Hitoshi commented as he tended to his scared face._

"_They're fun especially when you have the right playmate." Seiichi replied as the wind blew past him. He would have Hoshiko; he just needed to continue playing the nice guy. _

_**~Las Noches~**_

Szayel Aporro Granz walked into Aizen's throne room with a wary expression on his face. After conducting his latest research on information about Damita he decided Aizen should be aware of her status.

"My apologizes Aizen-Sama, but I wanted to speak with you regarding Damita." Szayel said as Aizen looked at him closely, what more news would he have to deal with? It was enough the boy and his friends were wondering about his territory the last thing he needed was bad news about Hoshiko when he had yet to make her officially his.

"I'm listening," Aizen commented

"I have been monitoring Damita closely; because she is not a true Arrancar and was created under unique circumstances the results of this are still questionable." Szayel explained

"Damita is not an Arrancar; her current state is nothing more than lies and your ingenious ideas." Aizen sighed

Szayel bowed in appreciation, "As much as that is true, the process used to create her has its faults. Her body may have mutated into the form of an Arrancar but like her Hollow mask the rest of her appearance can be easily broken. But that isn't why I'm concerned…." He paused as he now fully had Aizen's attention, "There are many things going on with her internally, for example her abilities are unknown since she was not only a Shinigami but a Child of Hades. I suspect she can regain her Shinigami abilities easily with practice but because I have very little information about her COH powers aside from what I have been told or have seen, the possibilities of it concerns me. However I have speculated a few outcomes…."

"Enlighten me," Aizen gestured for him to continue

"If she regains her COH powers it may conflict with my experiments meaning she would become unstable." Szayel sighed, he hated being unsure about his experiments but this woman presented an unknown problem to him.

"I believe you are being too hard on yourself Szayel. This is a progressing experiment; we just have to watch what happens. I'm allowing her to train with Grimmjow under my restrictions and Ulquiorra's supervision. I plan to let her learn the skills needed to satisfy her curiosity, but she won't be aware that she truly will learn nothing. Thus I see no need to worry. Now if you have nothing else to say I have other business to attend to." Aizen explained as Szayel hesitantly nodded and left the room. He was still concerned about the possibilities of Damita. But, with Aizen not sharing his concerns, all he could do was sit and watch what happened next.

_**~Hueco Mundo~**_

Renji continued telling the others what he knew about Hoshiko's past as they tried to find an exit from their unknown location.

"So Seiichi was just playing her? He pretended to like her so he could do whatever he wanted." Ichigo stated. He knew it was foolish to hate a dead man, but if he could he would kill him over again for hurting Hoshiko.

"He didn't pretend to like her; he just liked her for all the wrong reasons." Renji replied

"How did you find out about him?" Ishida asked

"I was placed in charge of watching Seiichi; some things about him didn't seem right and Ikkaku couldn't shake the feeling he got when around him. So for a few nights we took turns watching him to make sure he was doing his job. Then one night Ikkaku said he stopped to speak with shady looking guy. Because we didn't want to jump to conclusions or at least I didn't want to without some type of prove we had to track down the guy and question him. Of course Ikkaku took the role of that. While that was going on, I decided to check in on Hoshiko but….." Renji paused as he hated to admit his own faults

"But what?" Ichigo asked

"I went to Jin's shop to find her, he told me he hadn't seen at work for days and when she did come in she looked horrible. He suspected something was wrong with Seiichi but she denied it and told him to ignore it. He knew it was Seiichi he just couldn't prove it. Hoshiko wasn't a woman to back down to anyone, but for some reason during the months she was dating Seiichi, he made her helpless and changed her." Renji replied

"So how did you get prove about what was really going on?" Rukia asked

"Ikkaku found the messenger that Seiichi was constantly in contact with. After help from Ikkaku he told us what Seiichi was really doing in Soul Society; he was a hired hand from the Yogran family, a rival clan that wanted to over throw the Kuchiki house. Of course if Kuchiki Taichou was killed there would be no one to take his place." Renji sighed as he wasn't fond of some of his memories, "With the confession I could easily place Seiichi in confinement for treason, but by the time I found him it was already too late."

"What do you mean too late? What happened to him?" Rukia asked

"….Hoshiko killed him." Ichigo interrupted as it now made sense, "Hoshiko told me she killed Shinigami in her past and the first one she killed was one that used her as a toy until she couldn't take it anymore and snapped."

"I never knew he was abusing her; if I did nothing would have stopped me from hurting him." Renji stated, "I didn't find out until the night I found them both at her house." he closed his eyes for a second, the sight still burned into his memory. Images of Seiichi's body on the ground; blood was pouring out of fresh wounds in his chest and stomach. The sight was almost as sick as when he saw Hoshiko. Seiichi's Zanpaktou was in her hand; drops of blood rolled down the blade. Her clothes drenched and at that moment he couldn't even recognize her face as it was splattered with blood. Her eyes were filled with so much rage, pain and hate. She had looked at him with no emotion as if she was dead inside.

"After all his abusing, she couldn't take it anymore. She reached her point of no return." Ishida commented

"How did Soul Society react to her killing a Shinigami?" Rukia asked

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked in return, "Killing Seiichi was self-defense and he drove her to it."

"Soul Society's laws are different in terms of what is right and wrong. I believe they wouldn't condone what Seiichi did, but Hoshiko killing him is another story." Ishida stated

"He's right; Hoshiko killed a Shinigami of one of the thirteen court guards meaning she had to be sentenced….." Renji added as Ichigo narrowed his eyes at him, "To death."


	35. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

Grimmjow gritted his teeth as he played this song and dance with _Damita_. He would rather be Orihime's baby sitter than having to do this. But Aizen forced him to at the request of her. _What the hell is her deal anyway? Why me? _ He thought as he continued sparing with her. This was a joke, he couldn't even raise a katana to her and if he did Ulquiorra would probably rat him out to Aizen.

"Stop holding back, I can take a hit." Damita suddenly broke him out of his thoughts

"What woman?" Grimmjow groaned

"Your hits are slow and have no weight to them." She stated

"Be grateful." He replied

"I'm taking this practice seriously, Grimmjow I expect you to do the same." She sighed attempting to kick him, but he suddenly grabbed her foot tightly, her eyes widened as he narrowed his own at her

"You don't want me to take _this_ seriously, woman." Grimmjow warned

"Release her Grimmjow," Ulquiorra commented from the distance. With a grunt Grimmjow dropped her leg and stepped away from her

"What did I ever do to you Grimmjow? I mean everyone else at least acknowledges me here. Good or bad, they still do. But you; the man that is said to have saved me won't even talk to me." Damita said

"You're not worth talking to….you're just a dumb woman and Aizen's pet. Do yourself a favor and get someone else to pretend train you. I have better things to do than make you feel good about yourself." Grimmjow placed his hands in his pockets turned to walk away. Damita put her head down as his words hit her hard; this was what he really thought. Here she was trying to make amends with him and he could careless because to him she was Aizen's pet. Something in her snapped and she felt emotions take her over. She clutched her fists and without warning ran up to Grimmjow and connected with him jaw. He stumbled back from the impacted and widened his eyes when she grabbed his collar. About to grab her neck, he stopped when he saw something in her eyes. Pitch black orbs stared back at him. His jaw started to burn from where her fist connected.

"Don't turn your back on me, or it will be the last thing you do." Damita warned, Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at her. _What are you? _ His mind raced as she hit like Hoshiko, but this wasn't her. This was something different. Her personality was different, even her scent was different from the woman he had grown to hate.

"Damita!" Ulquiorra called for her to stop

"Its fine, she's not _hurting_ me." Grimmjow taunted, Damita narrowed her eyes at him and raised her fist to him again but this time smoke emitted from it.

"Cocky bastard!" Damita barked as her hand got closer to him

"You sure you want to do that?" he smirked as he raised his own hand and formed a Cero. Aiming at her head the game of chicken started, "Think you got the balls? Aizen will be picking your skull up from the floor."

"At least I'll have a skull," suddenly her hand turned into a black flame

"They really fucked you up didn't they?" he mumbled, he knew _this_ was the result of Aizen's tampering with her. She wasn't normal to begin with and they just made her more dangerous. Before either of them could hurt each other, Ulquiorra flashed next to them and grabbed Damita's arm,

"Enough, your training is over for today." Ulquiorra stated

"What?" Damita groaned

"Return to your room, Damita." Ulquiorra ordered her. The flames in her hand slowly disbursed and he released her hand. She narrowed her eyes before walking away from them. Grimmjow watched her closely and then turned to his fellow Espada.

"She started it," Grimmjow commented negating his Cero

"This is not a competition of strength Grimmjow; you know you are not to harm her." Ulquiorra replied

"Self-defense, you unleashed that psycho on me. Have you looked at her? She is even crazier than she was as a Shinigami." Grimmjow said

"That is none of your concern Grimmjow; you are only to train her as Aizen wishes." Ulquiorra commented as he turned to leave as well. Grimmjow just mumbled and ignored what Ulquiorra said. There was something wrong with Aizen's pet and he was curious to find out what it was, just like a curious cat.

_**~Flash Back~**_

_Abarai Renji never took his eyes of her jail cell; it had been a few hours since he had to bring her in for Seiichi's death. Despite how he felt, Hoshiko still needed to be judged on charges for killing a Shinigami. Renji knew why she killed him but Soul Society was strict and may not see it as an out lash of pain. He sighed to himself, if only he had gotten there sooner, if only he knew what Seiichi was doing all this time, he would have been able to stop this. Looking at her she was a different person; the girl he met before was happy and vibrant, the girl on the other side of the cell looked emotionless and could care less if she lived or died._

"…_..Hoshiko," Renji whispered as she remained seated on the cold floor of the cell, her back was against the wall and her head was hung low, "Talk to me Hoshiko," moments passed before he said her name again and waited for her to reply but all she did was remain silent. _

"_She refuses to talk," Renji turned around to find his Taichou walking towards him_

"_Taichou?" Renji stated as he stood up straight, he was surprised to see him around the cells. It wasn't like him to be concerned with matters like these_

"_I will be meeting with the other Taichous to discuss tonight's events. I decided to speak with the prisoner before her fate was decided." Byakuya said while looking towards Hoshiko. Renji cringed at the mentioning of prisoner. He wanted to ask what was going to happen to her, but figured it was better if he waited for a chance to speak at her sentencing. _

"_I'll leave you alone," Renji bowed and left the room. Byakuya walked closer to the cell and found Hoshiko's still form lifeless on the floor_

"_Kurani Hoshiko," Byakuya paused looking for some type of movement from her, "Your sentencing is in a few hours, you are charged with the death of Shinjo Seiichi, an officer of my squad." Hoshiko's hand twitched at his last statement. "Despite Shinjo Seiichi's betrayal and true intentions to kill me, you must be aware that the punishment for killing an officer of the thirteen court guards is death." Hoshiko's head remained lower as she continued to ignore him_

"_You don't care if you live or die do you?" he asked_

"_Neither do you….." her voice was raspy; he almost didn't hear it_

"_I'm here to speak with you and attempt to remove the maximum punishment from your sentencing." Byakuya said in stern tone, Hoshiko figured Renji requested her to have a proper hearing instead just receiving the death penalty. It wasn't normal for men like him to care about peasants._

"_Charity doesn't look like it suits your kind." Hoshiko stated finally rising her head up to look at him. Byakuya still couldn't see her as she was hidden in the shadows._

"_From my understandings you killed Seiichi with his own Zanpaktou because of what he has done to you. Unohana Taichou requested to examine you, yet you denied her a chance to do so. Some suspect your reason for this is because Seiichi did not truly harm you, instead you only killed him out of…." His words were cut off short as Hoshiko bolted up and grabbed the cell bars angrily. _

"_Seiichi is a monster!" Hoshiko yelled_

"_You mean was, he's dead." Byakuya corrected_

"_Not to me, if I could I would kill him over again." She stated narrowing her eyes at him. Byakuya studied her since she was now in the light; her hair was tangled and covered most of her face only hints of her gray eyes showed. Her clothes were dirty and ragged. From the holes in her clothes, he saw the various bruises Seiichi had caused her. There was no question she was abused. Seeing her bruises made something in him feel responsible, Seiichi was an officer of the sixth squad; if he was still alive he would hold him responsible for his actions and have been punished, "Makes you sick doesn't it," he snapped his attention back to as she gestured to her scars._

"_I will see to it you are judged fairly." He said_

"_Do I look like I care? Shinigami watch out for their own, I'm just a girl from Rukongai," she pushed herself away from the bars, "Besides what makes you think I don't want to die?" Byakuya didn't respond to her, instead he turned and left the room. Hoshiko watched him leave and then slid down to the floor. She heard the door open again and wasn't surprised to see Renji walking in. He kneeled down in front of her and slipped food and water in to the cell._

"_I thought that you might be hungry," Renji said_

"…_.Why?" Hoshiko asked_

"_Because you have been in here for hours." He replied_

"……_..You could have executed me on the sight, why bring me here? So they can kill me?" Hoshiko asked_

"_Of course not! No one is going to kill you. You did nothing….."_

"_Really? So killing a Shinigami isn't a crime?" she interrupted as she moved away from the bars_

"_The circumstances are different." Renji stated_

"_They won't see it that way," Hoshiko said_

"_Why aren't you even trying to fight this? I know they won't judge you like that. I won't let them." He sighed_

"_You shouldn't care." She said_

"_Why?" he groaned, he was getting annoyed by her lack of caring for her life. He was fighting for it and she wasn't even making an attempt to clear her name_

"_Because I don't care!" Hoshiko yelled, his eyes widened as her outburst_

"_Hoshiko, I can't make all the things Seiichi did right. But for the life of me I can try. Please, trust me….."_

"_Trust? You really think I would trust a Shinigami, now? I killed Seiichi because I trusted him and he turned me into a monster. He's dead and I still want his blood. He built me up just to break me down; showing me love and compassion than using that to hurt me. I hate him but not as much as I hate myself for letting him hurt me. I have nothing worth living for, you know I don't. Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't see emptiness." She groaned_

"_I don't believe you, I know you're still alive and deep down inside you don't want it to end like this." Renji stated. Hoshiko looked away from him. She wished he would just stop caring and let them kill her so she wouldn't have to live like this. Standing up, she walked back to the shadows and turned her back to him. Renji stood and sighed in despair; if she didn't want to live why would Soul Society care? Turning around he left the room and headed towards the meeting. Her fate would be decided in a few hours and now he feared what was going to happen._

_**~Las Noches~**_

Damita angrily walked through the hallways headed towards her room. She hated having to stop training with Grimmjow, even though what was happening was far from training. She couldn't understand what was happening to her, what he said to her brought out emotions she never felt before or at least ones that she couldn't remember. She felt hate, anger and wanted to hurt him for it. Looking at her hand she recalled the black fire that engulfed it. Stopping her movements, she tried to bring out the fire again at will but nothing happened. Puzzled she continued to look at her hand and didn't notice the snake slithering towards her.

"Need help finding something to do with that pretty little hand of yours?" Damita snapped her head up to find Nnoitora standing behind her

"What do you want?" she yelled annoyed at his timing

"Just to talk," he smiled widely as he ran a finger Damita's arm. She shuddered and moved away from him.

"I don't want to talk with you. So if you please," about to turn around and walk away, Damita was shocked when she found Loly blocking her way, "What?"

"Aizen's pet doesn't know how to play nice." Loly teased

"Now that's no fun." Nnoitora commented as he leaned in against her ear. Damita turned around and slapped him across the face, "Kitty has claws." About to hit him again, Damita was shocked when Loly wrapped her arm around her neck.

"Get off me!"Damita yelled

"Play nice," Nnoitora said as he reached out a cold hand to touch her face, "Think Aizen would mind if I touch his pet for a little?"

"I won't tell." Loly smirked. Damita felt her fear turn into anger as Nnoitora's hand eased down her neck. Gritting her teeth she narrowed at him and felt the same feelings from earlier take her over. Her eyes became pitch black again and smoke started to form around her hands.

"This what happens when you get turned on?" Nnoitora teased about to touch her, but he was surprised when she shot her hand out and grabbed his wrist. Burning his flesh he gritted his teeth and yanked his hand away. Loly's eyes widened at the sight. Damita forced Loly to release her hold on her and grabbed her by the neck. Slamming her into a nearby wall, Loly screamed as her neck was being singed.

"Still want to play?" Damita asked, she was enjoying seeing the pain Loly was in. All Nnoitora did was watch as the scene played out. Still holding his burned wrist in his free hand, he was shocked at what he was seeing.

"Please." Loly pleaded

"Begging doesn't suit you," Damita felt the black fire increase, but before she could do anymore damage a hand grabbed her and pulled her away. Expecting to see Ulquiorra she was shocked when she looked up at Loly's rescuer.

"Grimmjow?"

_**~Flash Back~**_

_Hoshiko didn't fight with the guards that escorted her to a large room surrounded by Taichous and others she suspected were a council. She noticed Renji, Ikkaku and Yumichika were seated to the side. Renji stared at her closely as she didn't even look scared. All she did was look down at the ground and wait to be sentenced. _

"_Guess its worst then I thought," Renji's attention turned to Ikkaku_

"_What do you mean?" Renji asked_

"_Look at her; she doesn't have a will to live anymore. She couldn't care less if they sentenced her to death right now. Whatever Seiichi did to her did more damage to her mentally than physically; no emotion, no hope, no feelings except hate and anger." He replied_

"_She has to want to live, if she lets them kill her for this Seiichi wins and I can't let him take everything from her. She doesn't deserve to pay for freeing herself from him." Renji stated_

"_Easier said than done." Ikkaku sighed as the sentencing started_

"_Kurani Hoshiko, you are charged with the death of Shinjo Seiichi of the sixth squad. How do you plead?" Hoshiko remained quiet as she felt it was useless to answer_

"_Speak or the court will take your silence as a response of being guilty." Another voice said_

"_I plead guilty of killing one of your monsters." Hoshiko suddenly said_

"_Please explain yourself,"_

"_Does it matter what I say? I killed him because I hate him; even after he is dead I still hate him. I would kill him again if I was given the chance." Hoshiko commented_

"_He abused her! She killed him out of rage….." Renji yelled as he caught himself before continuing. He knew it wasn't his place to speak but he had to say something. _

"_Silence! If the prisoner cannot speak for herself then….."_

"_Seiichi made me into a monster; for months he made me into his personal toy that he did anything he wanted to. My body is a canvas of pain because he felt it was perfect for destroying. I don't know why I made him do, maybe because I'm stupid or maybe because after a while I didn't care anymore or didn't feel anymore. For the briefest of moments last night, I wanted to live when he decided to finally kill me. I thought after I killed him I would regain my humanity, but it did nothing but get me here in front of judgmental Shinigami that probably think the peasant from Rukongai isn't worth anything. So just sentence me to death because deep down you know you want to." Hoshiko explained as Renji felt his heart drop. He was about to interrupt again when Ikkaku grabbed his arm and motioned to Byakuya. Putting his head down, Renji hoped Hoshiko could be saved._

"_Kuchiki Byakuya, Taichou of the sixth Squad, you requested to speak on behalf of your Fuku-Taichou, Abarai Renji. Since Shinjo Seiichi was an officer of your squad, we the court will allow you to have the ultimate decision on what will happen here today." Renji's eyes widened as he watched his Taichou approach the council._

"_I have decided to take responsibility for Seiichi's actions against this woman; although she has killed an acting officer of my squad she has also possibly stopped an attempt on my life. As you all know Shinjo Seiichi was hired to kill me, but because of Kurani Hoshiko that attempt never took place. Because of this, I feel the death penalty would be obscure as a means of punishment." Byakuya explained as Hoshiko narrowed her eyes at him_

"_Then what do you propose? The act of killing a Shinigami of the thirteen court guards cannot be ignored, regardless of the circumstances. Your request of not having her sentenced to death is understandable, however if you wish for her to be set free in her state of mind and physical condition, your request is denied." Byakuya stood quiet as he knew they wouldn't be easy to negotiate with, "However, because the affects your squad, we would allow Kurani Hoshiko to serve her sentence in the Kuchiki household. This way she is under close watch and can amend for her crime against your squad."_

"_No!" Hoshiko blurted out, "What part about me hating Shinigami and Soul Society don't you understand! Let me die, I promise you I would be a lot happier than serving the Taichou of the man I hate."_

"_No." Byakuya suddenly stated not even looking at her_

"_It's my sentencing, does my request mean nothing?" she yelled_

"_When it is a suicidal request, yes it means nothing." Byakuya replied calmly_

"_You can't!" Hoshiko yelled, he finally looked at her; she almost shivered at the gaze he gave her,_

"_You have no say in this, nor do you have a say in what I can and cannot do." He warned_

"_Then it is decided, Kurani Hoshiko, you are sentenced to work for the Kuchiki household as punishment for what you have done." Hoshiko narrowed her eyes at Byakuya, how dare he make a decision like this when she never asked for his help. _

"_Renji," Byakuya stated as he turned and look towards him, "See to it she is escorted to my home." _

_Renji nodded and walked over to Hoshiko, taking her from the guards he was about to unchain her,_

"_I wouldn't do that if I were you," Hoshiko warned as Renji looked at her oddly but saw the anger in her eyes. He knew those eyes, the eyes of determination and hate. Renji knew this was the beginning of a bad situation and he would have to keep watch over Hoshiko. The next few days would be a challenge if she continued like this, but he was ready for whatever was thrown at him. Or at least he thought he was….._

_**~Las Noches~**_

Damita gritted her teeth as she was tossed into her room forcefully. After Loly ran off scared and Nnoitora left from Grimmjow's warning, Grimmjow dragged her to her room for what he called a "friendly talk". But she was still in rage and wanted to hurt someone. About to attack Grimmjow for whatever reason, she was easily pushed to the ground.

"Don't even try," He warned looking down at her, "Now get up!"

"Fuck you Grimmjow!" Damita yelled. With a groan Grimmjow grabbed her shoulders and placed her on her feet, "What do you want from me? You don't care about me remember."

"Actually I'm just curious and I figured I would help you out before Ulquiorra tells Aizen about your little problem." He replied

"What?" she asked confused

"You think that is normal?" he asked gesturing towards her hand that was emitting smoke from it, "Have you even seen your eyes?" She groaned as he grabbed her and pulled her in front of a mirror hanged up against a wall. Her expression changed as she saw her pitch black eyes that looked like death.

"What….. is this?" Damita gasped

"I don't know, but it kind of looks fun." He replied standing in the back of her

"Was I always like this?" she asked

"I wish you were," he replied. Damita turned around and narrowed her eyes at him. With a smirk her pressed a hand to either side of her head and cornered her against the mirror, "Let's try this, calm down. Your emotions cause you to get out of control."

"Anger, all I feel is anger." She stated

"Relax." Grimmjow commented with a sigh. Damita closed her eyes and tried to do as he said. She felt his hot breath close to her face. Slowly opening her eyes Grimmjow saw them turn back to their normal silver color. _So not much has changed, her temper is still a trigger, _he thought.

"Why are you helping me?" Damita asked

"Because I don't think Aizen would understand what is happening to you. He might even stop me from training you." Grimmjow replied, truth be told he was playing devil's advocate; he wanted to see how far she would go and if Aizen found out about her problem he would have her bound to her room and scrape training. It was enough Aizen made her forget everything so he couldn't fight her like before, and Ichigo was nowhere in sight. So this would have to be the most fun he had until then.

"I can control it." She stated

"Not by yourself," Grimmjow commented, "I'll continue to train you. But for Ulquiorra's sake we'll _play_ when he's around and train for real when he's not. Then you can learn all that you want to."

"Honestly?" Damita asked surprised at him

"Yeah, that's what _friends_ are for." He smiled

_**~Flash Back~**_

_Things were quiet in the Kuchiki household; Hoshiko was shown to a room and settled in. With a short break from the day's events, Byakuya went to his room and tried to relax. He was nearly asleep when suddenly he felt the cold edge of a blade placed to his neck. He slowly opened his eyes and found the reason for his discomfort straddled on his waist and holding a knife to his throat. Hoshiko stared coldly at him as she waited for him to make an attempt to stop her. She knew better then to not prepare herself for some form of defense; he was a Taichou after all. Yet even as she pressed the blade closer to his flesh, he still didn't move. Instead Byakuya stared at her for a long time, as if studying her actions, "If this is your plan of escape, I would strongly advise against it," he commented_

"_Shouldn't you be begging for mercy instead of worrying about my escape. " Hoshiko replied, her face showed no emotion _

"_Trust I have no need to beg you for anything. Now I suggest you remove your weapon and return to your quarters." Byakuya said_

"_You can't expect me to stay here; you think making me live as one of your servants will make everything better. I hate Soul Society. If I had the power, I would destroy it and you for condemning me here." she yelled_

"_I know that," he said, "But I will state it again. Remove your weapon." his eyes never left her as she said nothing. Apparently Renji was right, she was cold and emotionless. She had come into his room with all intentions of killing him. Did she even realize that an attempt on his life would guarantee her death? Or perhaps the better question was did she even care? Byakuya wasn't a fool, he knew better than to sleep peacefully when his house guest was heartless and blood thirsty. Senbonzakura had been placed at his side awaiting their visitor. As she started to move the blade across his neck, Hoshiko didn't even flinch as in a flash the tip of Senbonzakura was at her throat, "If you continue with this, you lose a chance to regain your life and force me to execute you here."_

"_What life? I killed Seiichi but he took my life with his." Hoshiko yelled. Her eyes grew darker, "What are you trying to do by keeping me here? Do you feel guilt for it? Because he was your sixth seat? Do you think helping the poor girl will make amends for everything? I didn't ask for this and I didn't ask for your help. The moment I ran his Zanpaktou through him, I knew what awaited me. I prepared myself for death because I knew no matter how wrong he was, Social Society would blame the girl from Rukongai. Because nothing but criminals come out of there. In my mind I'm still awaiting death. So go ahead and kill me. You know you don't want me here." Byakuya looked at her oddly as she removed the knife and placed it aside. She grabbed Senbonzakura's blade and pressed it closer to her neck. She was serious; she wanted him to kill her. He couldn't begin to understand the pain Seiichi had put her through, but to want to end her life without giving it a chance, why would she give up so easily._

"_No," Byakuya stated, "I will not kill you." _

"_Do you need a reason to?" she was about to reach for the knife when someone grabbed her waist and lifted her off of Byakuya. Hoshiko started to struggle against the person but they held her tightly and crushed her back against their chest, "Let me go!"_

"_Why are you so determined to die?" she recognized the voice as Renji's, Hoshiko tried to break free again but he just tightened his grip, "You're being given a second chance Hoshiko, I'm not saying this is going to be easy but giving up will be letting Seiichi win. He treated you like nothing, don't prove him right." His words burned into her. Why was he able to break through her so easily? Tears started to swell up in her eyes, "Please Hoshiko, let me help you." _

"_How did you know I would try to kill him?" she asked_

"_Because….that's what I would have done," Renji replied, "I figured you would make a guaranteed death sentenced with an attempt on a Taichou's life." _

_Byakuya sheathed his Zanpaktou and stood up from his bed. He had already decided to have Renji stay in his home during Hoshiko's sentence. She responded to him and he would be able to calm her down when needed. It was only the first night and already she tried to kill him. He could only sigh at what else she could possibly do. _


	36. Chapter 34

**A/N: Soooo my laptop crashed on me last week and I had a bunch of chapters already pre-written but they just needed to be looked over and submitted which I planned to do on breaks at my summer job. But of course when my laptop crashed that plan went out the door. So I was pretty much in a slump and about to cry my eyes out when I my friend reminded me I sent her a couple chapters in her email. Once again I was excited with this string of hope but then disappointed to find out I had only sent her two chapters. Which I guess was better than nothing but I wanted the other stuff I typed back. After I realized I would have to get a new laptop or get my old one fixed but there would be the possibility of the hard drive getting wiped out, I decided to take matters into my own hands and try to fix my laptop. Girl power ^_^. I found out what the problem was and after unscrewing the screen and seeing the magic of how a laptop looks on the inside nothing happened it was still dead :'-( Out of frustration I dropped it on my carpeted floor and heard the motors turning. Opening it I was highly excited to see it start up and have been working since. Who knew just by dropping it I could fix it lol…PS don't try this at home, it worked for mine but may harm your laptop, plus I just did it out of anger lol….anyhow I am back to write more chapters for you guys. I'm really thankful to all of you who have reviewed and left messages about the story. You're all the reason why I really wanted to get back into writing it. Well enough of my rambling unto the story.**

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

_**~Flash Back~ **_

_Byakuya arranged for Renji to stay in the house and keep an eye on Hoshiko since he was able to connect with her. When Hoshiko calmed down he ordered for her to be cleaned, "While staying here you will look proper and act as such. Despite your beliefs you are a lady and while in my presence will be respected as one." As Renji was escorting Hoshiko to the baths, Byakuya ordered him to stay while she was bathed just in case she decided to hurt someone or herself. Renji wasn't happy about the idea, but did as he was told. When they reached the baths, Mitsu, a young servant, was awaiting and already had the bath running. She watched Hoshiko closely as she seemed hesitant; turning her attention to Renji she spoke, _

"_Fuku-Taichou, with all due respect, she is a young lady and it is not proper to be here while she is cleaned." Renji was uncomfortable because he had to follow orders but didn't want to be there while Hoshiko bathed. Thinking to dishonor his orders, he was about to leave the room when Hoshiko interrupted,_

"_Its fine, he has to follow his orders." Renji turned his back as Hoshiko started to undressed and the woman took away her clothes. Renji heard her enter the water and felt odd knowing she was naked behind him. While Hoshiko was being cleaned the woman gasped as she could see all her wounds and scars. Renji snapped his head back to see what was going on and he cringed as he saw the back of her. Scars and bruises covered most of her flesh; Mitsu had pulled Hoshiko's hair to the side,_

"_Dear Lord, this is….." she was lost for words as she saw the extensity of her wounds, "I will get some medical supplies and tend to the wounds that are fresh." Renji never took his eyes off of Hoshiko as Mitsu left the room. He felt his heart sinking, _

"_Don't look at me, please." Hoshiko wrapped her arms around her body to cover the rest of her wounds, _

"_This is why you didn't want to be examined," he commented as he slowly walked towards the tub_

"_Stop, I know their hideous." He heard her voice cracking, was she crying?_

_Kneeling down next to the tub, Renji pushed her hair from her face and made her look at him. Suddenly she started crying and Renji found himself reaching out to hold her; cradling her in his arms, she held onto him as her back rested against his now soaked uniform. "This is not your fault, Hoshiko…Sumimasen,…." Renji breathed as he could feel her struggling against him. She continued to softly sob in his arms as the water mixed with her tears. Renji held her tighter and pressed his cheek against hers. "Please forgive me, Hoshiko." Suddenly her shoulders dropped and she broke down in his arms. She needed to cry, she needed to let everything out. It was killing her inside;__** he**__ was still killing her inside. Even after death Seichii was still able to hurt her. _

"_I don't know how….." she paused as he waited for her continue, "To live now."_

"_I'll help you…..I won't let anyone hurt you again. I promise you, Hoshiko." He stated_

_**~Hueco Mundo~**_

Renji couldn't stop thinking about Hoshiko; after talking with the others memories of the past plagued his head. All the feelings he tried to keep buried resurfaced and were pulling at his composure. Here he was lost in Hueco Mundo and Hoshiko was in trouble, he knew he needed to find her and get her out of Aizen's hands. But they had been walking for who knows how long and all they found were open fields of sand. Sure it was better than mindlessly wondering around hallways, but it still didn't make them any closer to rescuing her or Orihime.

"It helps if you don't think about it…" snapping his head up he found Ichigo walking next to him

"What?" Renji asked

"I'm worried about them too, but focusing on getting to them is easier than thinking about what could be happening to them right now." Ichigo replied with a sigh

"Speak for yourself," Renji replied

"Trust me right now I would love nothing more than to have Orihime save and Hoshiko in my arms," Ichigo paused as he took notice of Renji's hand clinching at his last sentence, "Angrily wandering around hallways got us nowhere but in a desert. Now we're in the open and the only way to get to them is by being focused."

"You can keep telling yourself that." Renji replied turning away from him

"What do you mean by that?" Ichigo asked

"I can't relax knowing she's in the lion's den with nothing to protect her. I would think her _boyfriend_ should be worried about another man having his sick way with her." Renji stated, Ichigo was about to respond when it hit him he realized why Renji was so frustrated. Why didn't he see it before, it was obvious.

"You're in love with her….." Ichigo stated just above a whisper

"What?" Renji said turning his head back to him

"You're in love with Hoshiko." Ichigo stated again as Renji widened his eyes at him, "I was so busy in my own thoughts that I didn't see it. I mean it's the way you look at her, the way you talk about her; even now you're worried about what Aizen's doing to her just like I am."

"She's my friend of course I love her." Renji defended

"I love Rukia and Orihime, but I'm "in" love with Hoshiko. They are different types of love Renji. You're in love with Hoshiko." Ichigo commented. The two stared at each other for a moment, more questions raced through Ichigo's head; he wondered if Hoshiko knew Renji was in love her? Did she feel the same way? Had there been something between them in the past?

"You don't have to worry; it doesn't matter if I'm "in" love with her. She's your girlfriend, end of story." Renji stated

"What do you mean by that?" Ichigo asked

"She loves you….just like she loved Bya…either way she isn't in love with me, but despite that I love her and I would give her anything she wanted," Renji paused, there was something that she wanted and he still couldn't give that to her that, "I made a promise to her that no one would hurt her again after what Seiichi did to her. I let one man slip through the cracks and break her heart. I will be damn if I let anyone else hurts her again, even if it's you."

"I would never hurt Hoshiko; she means too much to me. She made me fall head over heels for her. I won't give her up so easily, so frankly I'm not about to let any man take her from me, even if that man is you." Ichigo stated as the tension grew between the two of them.

"Enough!" Rukia said moving between the two of them, "Look!" Renji and Ichigo turned their attention to something running in the distance.

"What…is that?" Renji mumbled

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and saw what was running towards them, "It's a kid" He shunpoed away and made his way towards the child that was being chased by Hollows. Renji and the others quickly followed suit and rushed to save the child.

_**~Las Noches~**_

Grimmjow breathed heavily as Damita stood a few feet away from him. They had been training for a few hours and she was stronger and faster than he thought. He suspected the experiments had something to do with it. She slowly got used to her power which they now named _negative cero_. After examining it closer, the energy was similar to a cero blast but instead of charging it up she was releasing the energy freely and was able to hold it in her hands.

Even out of breath herself, she was relentless. It was like he was fighting Hoshiko again,

"Stop thinking about hitting me and do it." Damita stated preparing to charge at him

Grimmjow smirked, "A woman of action, I like that." Without warning he flashed in front of her and with a hard kick he sent her flying across the room. She groaned but picked herself up only to laugh. He looked at her oddly, "What?"

"Your hits are getting softer." She teased as he narrowed his eyes at her

"Why do you like to test me woman?" he groaned

"Because it's fun." Damita suddenly flashed at him and as he was about to hit her she moved to the back of him and elbowed him in the back of the head. He gritted his teeth as it actually hurt him.

"Bitch….." Grimmjow mumbled

"Say it to my face, pussycat." With a smile she watched as he clutched in his fists and attempted to control his temper. She was satisfied that she could mentally bother him; since his harsh words could hit like rocks it was nice to know he had a weakness, "Your arrogance has turned against you, Grimmjow."

"Don't let this training session turn against you. If I take it seriously you will be crying to Aizen." He warned

"I thought you said you would train with me for real?" she asked

"Like you would want that." Grimmjow commented

"You don't know what I want." Damita replied, Grimmjow couldn't help but let his mind wonder at all the things she could mean by that. Thoughts of Hoshiko with Ichigo rushed to his head, _did the boy give her want she wanted? _He remembered smelling her scent on him the last time they met. Without realizing it something in him cringed at the thought of Ichigo touching Hoshiko.

"Are you done day dreaming about milk?" Damita mused

"Shove it!" he snapped, preparing to attack her. With a growl he charged at her aiming a kick to her mid section. Damita put up her hands to block it but the impact sent her flying into a wall again. This time she took longer to get up, but when she did he saw her eyes grow dark.

"I see you're done with the four play." She smiled while adjusting her footing, but before she could attack he already was in front of her and grabbed her neck forcefully. She gasped as he tossed her to the other side of the room like a rag doll.

"That the best you got? Come on what was the sense of four play if you can't come through." Grimmjow smirked. And so another fight between the two began. This time it was more heated as Grimmjow took off the safety and decided to play a little rough. Despite being thrown against every wall and looking like a punching bag, Damita wasn't giving up. She held her own was giving him new scars to prove it. Grimmjow watched her closely trying to predict her next move. As he was doing so, he couldn't help but notice how wild she looked. Her hair was messy and her uniform had small tears around it. Something in him growled at the site. Her breathing was heavy and with each breath her chest expanded. Slowly thoughts of hurting her were replaced by thoughts of…

"You shouldn't lose focus on me." Damita breathed

_I haven't, _"Why? You really think you can beat me now? I haven't even broken a sweat yet." Grimmjow commented arrogantly

"You sure about that? You look kind of out of breath there. " she was trying to catch her own breath, Grimmjow was making her tired yet she would never tell him that. She had to make her next move a good one to bring him down. Adjusting her stance she faked him out with a move to the right but came at his left. Grimmjow was transfixed on the movement of her body, but he was aware of her attack. He flashed away and appeared behind her to place her in a chokehold. With a groan she tried to throw him over her shoulder; using what little energy she had left she elbowed him so he could loosen his grip and she could flip him over. Grimmjow grunted as his back hit the ground hard. Damita was about to kick him but he grabbed her ankle and dragged her down. She landed above his head. Air rushed passed her lips in a gasp, she ignored his sudden movement and was about to get up but he flashed and within a blink of an eye had her pinned to the ground again. Straddling her hips and he pinned both of her hands above her head. She kept trying to get her hands free but he held them tightly.

"I think you lose." Grimmjow said as she squirmed under his hold. Watching her made that odd feeling return to his stomach and made him feel weird about her. With a sigh he loosened his grip on her and expected her to want to quit for the day but he was rudely awaken when Damita broke out of his clutches and lifted her hand only to slap him hard against his face. Grimmjow growled as he held his cheek, Damita pushed him off of her and stood up. Only on her feet for a few moments, she sighed as he angrily kicked her feet out from underneath her. This time however Damita landed on in his lap, she glared at him as she tried to push herself off of him. But Grimmjow wrapped his arms around her waist and held her down to him. Realizing their current position, she began to sweat and her nerves suddenly flared,

"You're sweating already? I haven't even done anything to you yet," Grimmjow whispered, his warm breath tickled her ear. Damita's eyes widened at his words, _was he flirting with me?_ She wondered. Grimmjow didn't know when the sudden need to keep her close to him took him over, but having her in his lap made him want to keep her there for some strange reason. He intended to end their practice session after she was pinned to the ground and he won, but when she slapped him it made him angry but also dangerously excited at the same time. Squirming uncomfortably, Damita pushed against him again but Grimmjow pulled her even closer so now she was completely on his lap. As she continued to squirm Grimmjow felt himself get more excited and grunted as he said, "Stop moving….." Suddenly she met his gaze and was caught in the intensity of his eyes. Her hand crept up to his face. Thinking she was going to strike him again he grabbed her wrist, she was surprised when he pulled her hand to his face and gently nuzzled the back of her hand against his mouth.

"What are you doing….." the words slipped passed her lips as she watched him intently. _What are you doing to me is a better question, _Grimmjow thought as he was losing control of his common sense. This was the woman that he hated; the same woman that just the thought of her made him cringe in disgust. But the sickening feeling he normally had in his stomach was turning to knots as her body pressed against his. Damita didn't know what was happening, looking into his teal eyes all she saw was want, want for her. Teasingly he ran his lips over her fingers; she felt a tingle go down her back as his tongue flicked her index finger. As he gazed up at her a strange twinge started to tug on her heart. _What's wrong with me? I feel weird like this,_ she thought but her thoughts were interrupted when Grimmjow freed his other hand and grabbed the back of her neck so he could pull her face towards his. Their lips met in a heated kiss; Grimmjow's lips parted and pressed against hers as her own gave way for him. She groaned as his mouth consumed hers and he pushed his tongue out to rub against her lips. Just as she was opening to give him more access, she suddenly gasped when he pushed her off of him and stood up.

"What?" Damita asked confused by his actions, he ignored her and turned his head towards the doorway

"You two seem busy," she turned her head and found Gin walking up to them. She wondered what he saw but quickly ignored it and smiled up at him. Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at him, _perfect timing asshole. _He could still feel his body reacting to Damita; he wanted to hold her again.

"Is something wrong Gin-Sama?" Damita asked rising to her feet

"I've been looking for you Damita, Aizen-sama wants to speak with you," Gin paused, "But if you're busy."

"No! I'll go speak with him." She replied glancing at Grimmjow before leaving the room. Grimmjow never took his eyes off Gin as the silver haired fox seemed amused by the situation

"What the hell is your problem?" Grimmjow asked

"Nothing," Gin smiled, "But you do know that it isn't wise to play with toys that aren't yours."

"Why don't you take your place back under Aizen, or are you mad he wants a woman to play with instead." Grimmjow replied turning to leave the room. Just as he passed him, Gin shot his hand out and grabbed his arm.

"Just a fair warning, Aizen is very possessive and I would hate to have to clean up the mess he makes of you for messing with something that is his."

"Save that for Kurosaki, she's he's woman remember." Grimmjow said pushing his hand away and walking off angrily. Gin smiled, he had no intention of telling Aizen anything. He just wanted to see how things unfolded, after all everyone is mound to get caught with their hand on the cookie jar.


	37. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

Damita knocked on the door to Aizen's room; after stopping off at her own room she changed and tried to make herself look somewhat normal. But her skin was still flushed after what happened with Grimmjow. He was still on her mind. Thoughts of his body against her made her shuttered, _why am I reacting like this? This feeling seems right, do I like Grimmjow? Did I like him before my accident? _ Shaking her head she realized that Aizen had not responded so she knocked on the door again. After a few moments she heard no reply, knocking one last time she heard him yell for her to enter. When she walked in he was nowhere to be found but she heard water running from the bathroom. As the thought of leaving and letting him finish crossed her mind, the bathroom door cracked open and his voice sounded through the room,

"Please have a seat Damita. I will be out in a moment." She tensed up, why did he want to speak with her now? Did she do something wrong? Shaking her head she put her worries aside and examined his room. His Zanpaktou was placed on his bed along with his clothes neatly. Her eyes wondered over the long blade and curiosity got the best of her. Walking closer to the bed she ran her hand over the handle and slowly grasped it. Something in her stirred as it felt strange holding a katana. She and Grimmjow had been training for a while yet he had never raised his own to her nor had he mentioned anything about showing her how to use one. _Did I even have a Zanpaktou? _Damita wondered. She pulled the handle and watched carefully as the blade was revealed inch by inch. She was so fascinated by it that she didn't hear the water shut off in the bathroom. Even in the darkness the blade glistened and shined over her face. Looking at her reflection she was about to completely pull it out of its holding when she saw Aizen standing behind her. With a gasp she quickly placed it back into the holder.

"Gomennasai, I was just looking—" Damita stuttered hoping he wasn't mad at her, but before she could finish he raised his hand to silence her. It was then she realized that he stood in front of her in only a white bath towel wrapped around his waist. Freshly showered, water was running down his body. His hair was wet and slicked back. He lowered his hand and took the Zanpaktou from her hands. She watched as he unsheathed his Zanpaktou and demonstrated to the blade to her. Once again her eyes found the blade glistening in the darkness of the room. Thoughts of using one sent unusual tingles down her back. As he flicked his wrist and ran the tip of the blade over the floor in lazy circles, her eyes never left it. Suddenly he brought the tip the blade back up and placed it on her chin. Damita's eyes widened and her movements stiffen. He lifted her chin up and made her look at him,

"This is not a toy, Damita." Aizen said, slowly the blade ran down her throat. She feared he was trying to scare her but she never showed fear instead she narrowed her eyes at him

"My apologies Aizen –Sama, I let my curiosity compel me." Damita said

"Curiosity? About a katana?" he mused as she nodded slowly

"Do I have one?" she suddenly asked

"Yes," Aizen replied, he smirked and removed the blade from her chin. She rubbed her chin and watched as he sheathed the Zanpaktou.

"Where is it? Why don't I have it?" Damita continued

"It's broken, at the moment it is incapable of being released for you. One of the cruel things Kurosaki Ichigo has done to you." he replied

"Is there a way to fix it? What if I practice with it and learn to use it again?" she was a ball of questions and Aizen didn't summon her to his room to play twenty-one questions. He wanted her, even now she was tempting him to cut her out of her uniform and take her. All the more reason it was best he placed his Zanpaktou aside.

"You will learn to use it again in time," he paused with a sigh; she figured he was annoyed by the sound of his voice. Maybe he wanted to get dressed and be left alone

"Gin-Sama said you wanted to speak with me? Have I done something wrong?" Damita muttered

"Of course not; you could never do anything wrong. I merely wanted to see how you were doing? I know you have been training hard, but I don't want you to exhaust yourself. Patience is a virtue after all." Aizen smiled, if only he could follow his own advice. His eyes wandered over her body and soon his body was reacting. Raising his hand to her face he brushed his fingers over where he had placed his blade. Damita froze as he was moving closer to her. His fingers trailed down her throat and grasped her neck. Panic took over and she tried to put her head down, but he used his other hand to lift her chin. His lips were inches away from hers when she pushed herself away from him. The idea seemed to work until she realized she now had her back against a wall. She quickly turned and was about to run for the door when Aizen grabbed her wrist

"Aizen-Sama?" she whispered

"Gomennasai, Damita. I should have never approached you like that. But, as days pass, it becomes harder for me to control my feelings around you." Aizen stated, suddenly her eyes widened as she remembered that Nnoitora and Grimmjow had been calling her "Aizen's pet", _was it true? Am I his pet?_ Her mind was racing, this couldn't be right; Aizen was her leader and nothing more. Besides she didn't feel anything for him, not like she was beginning to feel for…

"I am sorry if I upset you." Aizen added sounding almost sincere

"Aizen-Sama, is this something that…before I was injured did you always treat me like this?" Damita asked

"I did, of course I was able to freely express my feelings for you. But because of your injuries, I didn't want to force anything on you. But having you close to me is slowly becoming a challenge. I am greatly attracted to you Damita and I long to have you again." He replied

"Again?" so it was true, she was his _pet_. But how? If she belonged to him why did nothing in her long for him. He was standing in front of her in only a towel and she felt nothing. Sure there was anxiety surging through her, but it wasn't from anticipation, it was from fear of what he could do to her.

"Please don't be upset with me my dear Damita; despite my composure I am still a man." He was slowly pulling her towards him, but she quickly yanked her hand away and ran for the door. Ignoring his attempts she left the room and ran down the halls. _It was all true, I'm nothing but Aizen-Sama's pet. Grimmjow was right, I got angry with him but all he was doing was telling me what I really was to Aizen. _Damita was hurt, she didn't want to be around Aizen; the thought of him touching her like that me something in her cringe. She needed to clear her mind. She needed someone to talk to. _Ulquiorra?_ She thought, but he was one of Aizen's most trusted Espadas and somewhat had authority over her. What if he ordered her to calm down and return to Aizen's quarters? She couldn't risk that. But she wanted to talk with someone. There was only one other person that may listen to her.

_**~Flashback~**_

_Hoshiko had been in Kuchiki house for a few days and things were going just as Byakuya expected. She was still angry and preferred to stay isolated to herself yet she didn't turn away Renji; the two had become close friends and he was the only person she socialized with. Even the help of the household noticed how distant she was. Hoshiko's job was to help around the house but she mostly ignored her duties and wondered around the house to find a quiet place to herself. Byakuya never forced her to work, after all the council ordered her to spend her sentence in his home, not him. As long as she was taken care of and she was not a harm to herself or anyone else he was fine with whatever she did. But deep down she was harming herself. At night she never slept and when she did she had nightmares and would scream violently from visions of Seiichi hurting her. Renji made her sleep in his bed while slept on the floor so that when she had a nightmare he could calm her down. He seemed to be the only person she allowed to see her vulnerable. But her nightmares caused her to not want to sleep at all, so during the day she looked tired and didn't want to be around anyone. As the days went on, Byakuya quickly took notice of her appearance and knew something had to be done. He wanted her to see Unohana, but she refused and her main problem was not her physical health it was her mental. _

_One night after dinner, Hoshiko seemed annoyed that Renji dragged her to eat with everyone else. Despite being head of the Kuchiki family, Byakuya still had dinner with the help when given a chance. While sitting at the dinner table everyone stared oddly at her. Byakuya simply ate his dinner in peace but he could feel she was uncomfortable. _

"_No one here will judge you Hoshiko," his words broke through awkward silence in the room. She looked at him, as the servants quickly turned their attention to their own food. For a second Byakuya looked up and found her eyes before continuing to finish his meal. When he was done, he elegantly cleaned his mouth and stood up from the table. The servants stood and bowed as he left the room. Hoshiko watched as he left and she couldn't help but notice the level of respect he received in the house. Even Renji bowed to him. _

"_Next time it would be good for you to show respect as well Hoshiko, "Renji commented as he sat back down next to her_

"_He's not my master," she replied defensively_

"_Is that what this is about? You think if you start working around here, he'll be your master?" he asked_

"_I just don't want to work for him, I appreciate "this" but he will never be my master." she replied, before Renji could say anything she stood up and left the room. Renji sighed, she still was angry and despite his daily talks with her, she wasn't changing. _

_While walking around the house later that night, Hoshiko wanted to be alone again but this time even Renji was ignored. She knew it was wrong to treat him and everyone this way but, why bother? She was a prisoner and this was her sentence. Lost in her thoughts she didn't notice someone was walking through the long hallways as well. _

"_Bya…" Hoshiko looked up to see an older woman standing in front of her, "I'm sorry….. Hoshiko, I thought you were Byakuya-Sama; he's the only one usually up around here this late. Plus I don't normally see you wondering around the house."_

"_It's ok." Hoshiko replied_

"_I'm Rikku, Mitsu's mother." The woman stated with a smile, "My daughter told me about you the night that she helped clean you up." _

_Did she tell you I was a monster? Hoshiko wondered, "I remember her." _

"_I can see it in your eyes." Rikku suddenly commented_

"_What?" Hoshiko asked confused_

"_Anger….they remind me of his eyes when he was younger." Rikku replied_

"_His?" _

"_Byakuya-Sama…..I have been working here since I was Mitsu's age, so I have known him since he was a young boy. Very hot tempered and easily annoyed. He didn't listen to anyone and for a while, his grandfather was worried he would never learn to control his rage." Rikku replied_

"_Byakuya?" Hoshiko was surprised, he was so serious and didn't seem like anything bother him. "What changed him?_

"_He learned to deal with his temper and control it; I taught him how to meditate and focus." She replied, "After all the head of the Kuchiki family has responsibilities that require him to be level headed." She replied_

"_My rage is different from his." Hoshiko said_

"_But it can destroy you the same." Rikku commented as Hoshiko looked away, "Well I need to get some sleep before dawn. It was nice speaking with you Hoshiko. If you need to talk with someone please don't hesitate." Hoshiko watched as she walked away. She couldn't help but think about what she said, but she was wrong. Rage is what reminded her that she was alive and without it what else would she have? Walking again she found herself wondering around upper levels and came across a slightly open door. Light shined through the crack and Hoshiko slowly walked closer to peek inside. Rikku was right, Byakuya was awake and he was sitting on the floor meditating. She watched as he was still like a rock, it almost looked like he was asleep. _

"_Why aren't you asleep?" the sound of his voice made her jump, he never opened his eyes_

"_I just can't sleep." She replied, "I didn't mean to interrupt you." Hoshiko turned to leave_

"_It will do you well to get rest; lack of sleep is showing in your appearance and attitude." _

"_What do you care if it is?" she snapped _

"_I care because you are tired and that affects how you act within my home." He stated, "Now get some rest." _

"_I'm not tired." Hoshiko said, suddenly his eyes opened and he looked at her closely, locking eyes with her, he could clearly see the tiredness in her eyes. _

"_Hoshiko, you need to rest. For the past few weeks, I have taken notice to your lack of energy and isolation from everyone. Renji has informed me that he rarely sees you sleep. It is not healthy for you." Byakuya sighed_

"_Follow your own advice, I don't see you asleep" She paused a question lingering in her head now, "Does it work?"_

"_What works?" He asked _

"_Meditating…." _

"_Yes…..when you live the life I do, you have to. I find it calming," he replied, "In fact it would be helpful working on your mental stability; the first step to helping yourself is helping your mind which requires rest. Why don't you sleep, Hoshiko?" At first she just stared blankly at him, "Tell me,"_

"_I can't sleep, because…I just can't." she replied looking away from him. Byakuya decided to take this opportunity to talk with her and possibly get her to open up to him._

"_Since you refuse to sleep, will you sit with me?" He asked gesturing for her to sit down on the floor. Hoshiko was hesitant but decided to take a chance. Reluctantly she sat across from him_

"_Now what?" Hoshiko asked_

"_I know you have nightmares about Seiichi…." Byakuya started, she trembled at the statement, "I'm not oblivious to the fact that you are being plagued by thoughts of him, which is why you refuse to sleep."_

"_He can't hurt me when I'm wake." She whispered_

"_Yes he can, your health is being affected by this. Renji has told me you haven't slept in four days." He said_

"_I don't know what to do." Hoshiko admitted _

"_You can start by closing your eyes." Byakuya replied. She didn't know what he was doing but she tiredly closed her eyes and tried to relax, "Relax your mind; you have a lot of anger built up inside of you. If you can learn to overcome it, you can control yourself and remove Seiichi from your mind." Easier said than done, Hoshiko thought as she could feel her body craving sleep and succumbing to it. But after a few moments images of Seiichi hurting her creep out from the darkness of her mind and she snapped her eyes open. _

"_I can't!" her heart was beating fast as she tried to think of something else to take Seiichi of her mind_

"_Calm down Hoshiko," he stated_

"_I don't want to do this anymore." Hoshiko commented_

"_What meditating or running from your fears?" Byakuya asked, "I don't ask anything of you in my home, but I request that you not self destruct in it. Even in death Seiichi controls and torments you but this time it is because you allow him to. The pain isn't going to disappear one day by itself. So I suggest you learn to move on from this and help yourself. Even if meditating is not the answer for you, the answer rests within you." she narrowed her eyes at him closely she knew he was right. Seiichi was dead, but because of her anger and fear he was still much alive in her. After a moment she went back to meditating; relaxing her body and breathing slowly she soon fought with her memories of Seiichi. Byakuya watched as her body started to tremble,_

"_Calm yourself," he stated, she tried to relax again and force Seiichi out of her mind. As time continued to pass she learned to ignore her memories of pain and concentrate on something else. Letting her mind wonder, Hoshiko found herself thinking about Renji and his friendship to her, soon she became relaxed and started to forget about Seiichi. Renji was doing so much for her; even with his duties to the Sixth Squad he still made time to help her. She remembered the nights she woke up screaming and thinking Seiichi was next to her but Renji held her tightly and tried to protect her even from a nightmare. Yet she was pushing his helping hand away and isolating herself from everyone. It had to stop and this was the first step to doing so. Some hours had passed and Hoshiko was still meditating, her eyes were closed and her breathing was becoming steady. She was so focused that she didn't even know that Byakuya had never left her. Because she was able to get Seiichi out of her mind and replace him with other thoughts, Hoshiko soon felt herself falling asleep. All those restless nights were taking her over fast and suddenly she couldn't sit straight. She was about to fall back and expected to hit the floor but instead she felt something warm press against her back. Sleepily opening her eyes she was surprised to find Byakuya holding her up._

"_I'm tired….so tired." She muttered_

"_Sleep now, Hoshiko." Byakuya said as her eyes closed and she was drifting off to sleep. He picked her up and fully placed her in his arms; carrying her to her room he wasn't surprised to see Renji asleep next to her bed. He probably was worried and waited up Hoshiko. Placing her in the bed, Byakuya could see she was peacefully sleeping. Even her features changed, she looked calm. As he covered her with a blanket, he noticed strands of hair around her face. Gently pushing them away his hand lingered. A feeling he had long forgotten came over him, quickly removing his hand he left the room and went to his own. Byakuya hoped tomorrow would be a new day for Hoshiko._

_**~Las Noches~**_

Grimmjow annoyingly lounged around his room; he couldn't get _her_ off his mind. Why was he acting this way? She was Hoshiko and he hated her. How could he go from wanting her dead to wanting to make her scream for reasons other than pain? He intended to train her and smack her around a little, but after she challenged him and slapped him, he felt something different stir inside of him. It was the same feeling he had when she first scarred him in the real world. Was it _ lust? Hell no I hate that woman,_ he thought. But something craved her and if that damned fox, Gin hadn't interrupted who knows what he would have done to her.

Grimmjow sighed; it made it worse that she responded to him. She was moaning and liked what he was doing to her, the damn woman wanted him. He smirked as he thought about what Ichigo would do if he knew what happened. His thoughts came back to _Damita_, there was nothing different about her in comparison to Hoshiko, but something about her made him want her. Maybe he always wanted her, all those times he hesitated to kill her or found himself looking at her for too long perhaps it was because he didn't hate her like he claimed he did. This was confusing how could want to kill her and screw her at the same time. _Maybe_ _I should screw her then kill her_, he laughed to himself. Yet killing her would only make things worse for him, Aizen would have his head and something in his stomach would nag at him for hurting her just like last time.

"Damn you woman! Different name but still annoying me," Grimmjow groaned in frustration. Suddenly there was a knock at his door; he ignored it as he figured it was Nnoitora coming to bother him. He wasn't in the mood, if he bothered him he would take his other eye out. After a few moments the knocking continued and when he couldn't take it anymore he flashed to the door and swung it open,

"What!" he snapped, but who he found on the other side surprised him

"Grimmjow….gomennasai, I just needed someone to talk with someone." Damita stated

_And you had to choose me?_ Grimmjow thought as he knew this couldn't lead to anything good for him. With a groaned he tried to close the door on her but she ignored his attempt and entered his room. He wished she would leave but another part of him wanted to continue were they left off. Glancing at her in the corner of his eyes he could see she was distressed over something. _Did Aizen do something to her? _He thought. Before he could stop the words from coming out he had to ask,

"Are you alright?" _when the hell do I ever ask if someone is alright? I don't give a damn what happens to her or anyone. _Grimmjow hoped she didn't hear him, but of course she did

"I'm his pet…" Damita whispered

"Glad you noticed," Grimmjow smirked but this time his words weren't filled with the usual hate

"He wants me….he made it clear that he did." She said

"So what's the problem? Shouldn't you be playing "pet" right now?" he asked

"Because I don't want to….I don't want him. Nothing in me wants him. I question if I ever wanted him. I mean I know if there was something between him and I, I wouldn't remember it but I know I would feel it." She paused looking at him closely, "When you kissed me I felt something….I didn't have to question if I wanted it I knew just from being close to you and seeing the look in your eyes." Grimmjow's eyes widened at her statement

"What? You think I want _you_? That was me trying to get laid just like everyone else in this place." He said

"No it's not….the way Nnoitora or Aizen looks at me is different to how you look at me. I see want, but not the type of want that disgusts me or scares me." Damita commented

"You're off your rocker, you don't want me and I sure as fuck don't want you." Grimmjow replied, "Now, leave me alone." he was about to walk away from her but she came up to him and grabbed his arm, but he shoved it away. "I said leave me alone!"

"Was it that bad? You kissed me and I was kissing you back for a moment." She stated

"Yeah it was, in fact I'm about to go bring up my lunch." Grimmjow replied with a smirk. His words hit her, but she knew he was lying. Normally he would say it to her face but he turned his head away._ Why is he acting like this? _She thought annoyed. With a groan she abruptly grabbed his shoulders and shoved him into a nearby wall. Grimmjow turned around and was about to rise up but she placed her hands on his chest and pinned him there.

"You're lying! You felt something when we kissed," Damita stated, "It's not nice to kiss and walk away from a girl, especially one like me."

"You wish I did," he said turning his head away suddenly his breath caught as she ran a hand down the scar _Hoshiko_ had put on him.

"I have always wondered who gave you this scar," she mused

"A stupid Shinigami." He relied

"Did you kill them?" she asked

"Still trying to." Was his simple reply, his breathing was becoming ragged for some reason. His mind told him to push her off but his body wouldn't allow it. The feeling of her hand on his chest sent tingles to all the wrong places.

"I want you Grimmjow….." Damita whispered

"No you don't, you want Kur….." Grimmjow stopped himself as Ichigo nearly slipped out, "You shouldn't be toying with me like this. I won't be responsible for what I do to you."

"All talk Grimmjow?" she smirked, he looked down at her and narrowed his eyes. Suddenly she gasped as Grimmjow grabbed her hand and slammed her into the wall. The raw power from him made a shiver run down her back. His hands pressed on either side of her head as he stared down at her,

"I never play prey or bottom." He growled

She tried to push him away but he took her hand and slammed it back against the wall. He tangled his free hand in her hair and pulled her against his body. Tracing her bottom lip with his tongue, she groaned and Grimmjow took advantage to maneuver his tongue into her mouth. He deepened the kiss and moved his hand up to cup her chin, brushing his thumb along the soft side of her face. Damita trembled against him as her body melted into his arms, a soft pant escaped from her lips as he released her. She reached up to trace the side of Grimmjow's hollow mask with her free hand. Looking into her eyes Grimmjow saw want and need but he knew it couldn't be for him. Letting her go he moved away from her.

"Grimmjow?" Damita muttered confused

"Get out….." he replied

"What?"

"I said get out! I can't do this." Grimmjow stated, he couldn't understand why his…."emotions" were taking him over. He never knew what feelings like this meant but he was starting to hate having them. He wanted Damita, but in the reality he wanted Hoshiko. And the thought of that was making him sick.

"Why are you doing this to me? First you want me then you push me away? Am I doing something wrong?" she asked

"I don't need to explain myself to you. Just get out." He replied, instead of asking more questions, she turned and angrily left the room. Grimmjow watched as she left and felt weird not having her there with him.

"Damnit these feeling are fuckin' confusing!" he yelled as he slammed his hand against the wall. _Why can't I just kill her and get her out my head?_ Grimmjow thought to himself.

"Knock knock," he heard someone knocking at his door and annoyingly laughing on the other side. Realizing who it was he tried to ignore them but the person didn't take the hint. Grimmjow watched as his door was knocked down and Nnoitora walked in with a smug smile on his face," I said, knock knock."

"What the fuck do you want?" Grimmjow groaned

"Well I was in the neighborhood and heard some interesting noises coming from your room so I thought I would take a peek. Sadly the little "woman" left before I could join you guys. But tell me, how was she?" the Fifth Espada smirked as Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at him.

"None of your fuckin' business." Grimmjow replied

"That good huh? Protective of her much." Nnoitora smirked, "It's okay I'll just have to sample her myself then."

"You fuckin' touch her and I'll take out your good eye." Grimmjow warned

"Fine….I will leave the little woman alone, but just be careful Sixth Espada; if Aizen was to know about your little "fun" with his pet I'm sure he wouldn't take it lightly. It sure would be a shame if someone told him. Sucks to be you huh?" Grimmjow watched as the tall Espada left the room with a grin. He knew the bastard all too well. He wouldn't tell Aizen about what happened between them unless it meant him getting something out of it. With a heavy groan, Grimmjow decided to leave his room before anyone else decided to test him. All he wanted was some space and time to think. But what he would get is a rude awakening he didn't expect.

A/N: Hope you guys like all the drama…I will upload more chapters later today :)


	38. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

Grimmjow was mindlessly walking through the outside walls of Las Noches. He needed to think and get everything into focus. Hoshiko was plaguing his mind and he hated what it was doing to him. He was supposed to hate her; she was a Shinigami and his enemy. The day she scarred him, he made a vow that he would kill her and he thought with her being in Las Noches all he had to do was be patient and he would have her head. But now killing her was the last thing on his mind. He wanted her and the more he tried to deny it the more his attraction to her was becoming annoying.

"You look perplexed," snapping his head around Grimmjow stopped walking to find Kiyomi walking behind him, _fuckin' great,_ he thought

"What's it to you?" he asked

"It amuses me…." She replied

"What?" Grimmjow asked annoyed

"I don't mean to poke fun at your confusion, I merely find it interesting. To know that such a bond lasts even to now," Kiyomi stated

"This is the second time you have talked about bonds with me, what the hell does that mean?" Grimmjow asked

"If everything was told to us in life do you think it would be worth living? Things we discover make it exciting and worth dealing with all of its confusion." She stated

"Bullshit, these feelings I have are pointless and make me sick. I want to get rid of them but…."

"You can't," Kiyomi interrupted, "It's too late to even try. Once you have started to feel and enjoy, faded memories take place. Truth be told you love her and wish you still didn't."

"Are you trying to help answer my questions or give me more questions?" Grimmjow was annoyed at her, how dare she say he loved anyone especially Hoshiko, "Forget it, just leave me alone."

"If you wish, but the feelings won't leave you alone Grimmjow; they are a part of you. Perhaps it would be best to let them happen." She replied

"Eat shit." He commented as he walked away from her to continue in his thoughts peacefully. Soon he was walking back towards his room, he hoped no one else would want to advise him. He stopped as he passed Damita's door. Trying to force himself to walk pass it Grimmjow couldn't, he could feel her reiatsu flaring. _Was it because she was mad? _He thought. She probably hated him, maybe if she yelled at him he could get angry at her as well. Or maybe he just wanted an excuse to walk into her room. Pushing open the door he found her lying on the bed with her back to him. At the sound of his footsteps she jumped up and turned to look at who entered her room.

"Grimmjow?" she paused, "What do you want?"

"…I don't know. I want things to be the way they were, when you hated me and I hated you. I don't know what is happening to me; it's like I don't have control over myself when you're near me. It annoys me when you're near but nags at my stomach when you're not." Grimmjow replied

"You're not making any sense. What did I do to make you hate me? Why did I hate you?" she asked

"…..Because I tried to kill you." He replied as her eyes widened

_**~Flashback~**_

_As the months passed by, Hoshiko was slowly adapting to life in Byakuya's home. She was interacting with the rest of the workers of the house; Rikku and Mitsu helped her and showed her all the things she needed to know. Surprisingly, Hoshiko wasn't a bad cook. She would aid Rikku in the kitchen and seemed happy when Rikku and Renji enjoyed eating her food. Even her appearance was for the better, she didn't seem angry all the time. At night she still had occasional nightmares, but thanks to Byakuya she was able to block them out and sleep calmly. Hoshiko was grateful to him; almost every night he would mediate with her. She could understand why Renji and everyone in the house respected him. He was a strong and intelligent Taichou. She hoped one day she could be as respected as him. _

_The day was pretty slow as Renji and other officers of Squad Six were on a mission. Hoshiko realized how attached to him she was as she missed talking to him. While she was working in the kitchen, Rikku was cooking and of course Hoshiko was helping her. As she was cooking, Rikku noticed they were missing a few ingredients,_

"_Oh no," Rikku sighed, "I can't cook dinner without these items. I will have to run in the market and get some since Mitsu is already working."_

"_I can get it." Hoshiko said, she realized that it had been months since she stepped outside of Byakuya's house. Perhaps it would do her well to finally go outside. Maybe even see what was new in town and catch up with an old friend. Rikku seemed hesitant about it; it had been so long since Hoshiko went outside of the grounds but no one ever said she couldn't go outside. Plus she changed over these past months, denying her to go outside would be like not trusting her._

"_If you really want to…just please be careful and don't take long. I will never hear the end of it from Renji if you stayed out too long." Rikku stated_

_Hoshiko smiled, "Hai! I'll bring back your supplies." Rikku sighed and handed her a bag and some yen for the market. Soon she wondered if she made a mistake as she watched Hoshiko leave the house and disappeared out of her sight. _

_Hoshiko walked around the market in somewhat awe; it was nothing like she remembered, some stores were closed down and new ones had taken their place. Fearful she headed towards Jin's shop and was happy to see it still open and running. Memories fluttered back and now she was nervous about walking in. She did want to see him, but what should she say? Did he know everything that happened? How would he treat her? Standing in front the door, Hoshiko slowly reached a hand out to push it open, but as she did it flew open and a man was tossed out. Luckily shew as able to jump back and avoid being knocked down._

"_Sorry miss….I didn't see…" Jin paused as he looked at the woman that he nearly hit with a rude customer, "Hoshiko?" _

"_Jin." Hoshiko smiled, he looked her over for a moment and was speechless. He knew what happened and found out from Renji that she was sentenced to work for the Kuchiki house but he never thought he would get a chance to see her again. After a few moments he rushed over to her and hugged her tightly._

"_Don't you ever leave me like that again kid; I thought you were….and then Renji told me everything. But I still thought I would never see you again. I'm so sorry; I would have killed that bastard myself for what he…"_

"_Jin, it's okay. I know….." Hoshiko interrupted as she hugged him back, "I wanted to see you, see how you were doing."_

"_Who gives a rat's ass about me! How are things with you? How is the Kuchiki house treating you?" Jin asked as he opened the door and gestured for her to come in and have a seat. Hoshiko nervously walked in and looked the shop over, everything was still the same but now people were having drinks during the day. She remembered the shop being quiet during the day. Having a seat in the back Hoshiko noticed the new help. Two young women moved around the tables to get people their drinks. Jin looked at what had her attention, "I needed help around here and they needed a job."_

"_You always did take care of those in need." She said_

"_Habit I guess, but how are you Hoshiko? Honestly." He replied_

"_They have been treating me good. I think I changed for the better, hopefully things will stay the same." She smiled, "There is still a lot of anger I need to work on but, one day at a time right."_

"_That's all you can do." Jin commented. The two continued to talk for a little while longer until Hoshiko realized it was getting late and she still needed to get the supplies for Rikku. Jin sadly walked her to the door and said his goodbyes, "Don't take forever to come see me again. And when your sentence is over, you know where you're welcome."_

"_Arigato, Jin. And I won't, I will try to come see you more often." Hoshiko replied as she left. Wandering around the market, most of the supplies weren't difficult to get and as she was picking up the seasonings she noticed a guy from one of her previous stops had followed her. After paying for the seasonings she knew it was time to get home. The guy was still behind her and was getting closer. When she felt him on her back, she grabbed pepper from her bag and threw it in his face. The man yelled and cursed at her as he tried to wipe his eyes. Hoshiko used this as a chance to run away. A few feet away from him she bumped right into a group of men. The impact sent her to the ground. Suddenly she froze when she saw a tall young man standing over her._

"_Kurani Hoshiko?" the tall one stated as she narrowed her eyes at him, "Thought you would never show your face around here again."_

"_That's cause she's the Kuchiki whore now." one of them teased smirking at her_

"_So "she" killed Seiichi….that's hard to believe."_

"_What do you want?" Hoshiko yelled annoyed_

"_Seiichi was one of us before he became a Shinigami and he was my best friend." The man replied as her eyes widened, "I have been looking for you, but your "prison" kept you safe."_

"_I don't get it; Seiichi died for using a whore for all she was good for. And now she's in the Kuchiki's house living it up."_

"_Your master shouldn't let the dog stray too far from home." As they were rounding in on her, Hoshiko jumped up and she tried to get away, but a guy grabbed her arm and pushed her hard against the wall. Her breath was knocked out of her. _

"_I heard Seiichi left a few mementos on her," one guy smirked, "Mind if we have a look?" Hoshiko closed her eyes as thoughts of Seiichi laughing at her plagued her mind. The guy that originally followed her walked up to them angrily as pepper still covered his face. He went straight for Hoshiko and slapped her; the hit sent her rolling hard to the ground. He kicked at her back then grabbed the back of her neck to sit her up. Hoshiko's screamed as thoughts of Seiichi forced their way back into her mind. It was like each of them were him and he was hurting her again. A surge of pain ran through her back as something sharp hit her. With a yell, her body was almost lifeless. Before she would have been able to block out all emotion and be numb to the pain, but in the last months Renji, Rikku, Mitsu and even Byakuya had helped her feel and gain back happiness. She was surprised when tears still started to form in her eyes. But just as they fell down her cheeks she felt something featherlike run across her face. Opening her eyes, she was shocked when she found pink petals floating around her. What is this? She thought as they started rushing around her and soon millions of them surrounded her. Within a flash the men were consumed by the petals and she heard them yell in pain. Narrowing her eyes she could see how sharp the should be delicate petals were. They reminded her of Byakuya's gardens, beautiful they were the men who had hurt her saw no beauty in them as they cut through them. When the storm of petals slowed down, she saw something or someone flash in the distance. Trying to stand up, Hoshiko realized she couldn't move. Her lower back was too injured. With a cry she sat back down on the ground. Looking around the men were unconscious and bleeding. Hearing footsteps she quickly looked in the direction of it, what she found made her heart stop. _

"_Byakuya….." Hoshiko whispered as he was walking towards her; cherry blossoms cascaded around him making him look unreal. He shunpoed next to her and looked over her injuries. He saw blood running down her side and lifted the piece of her dress that was torn to reveal a deep cut. She thought she heard him groan out of anger but looking at his face he seemed unphased by anything. She watched as he removed his scarf and pressed it against her wound to stop the bleeding. Looking up she saw one of the guys approaching them, _

"_Byakuya-sama!" he narrowed his eyes at her surprised at how she addressed him. He already noticed the guy behind him and in the blink of an eye he disappeared and reappeared back next to her to continue tending to her wounds. Hoshiko watched as the guy collapsed to the ground in a mess of blood. When did he attack him? How did he moved so fast, she thought still wide eyed at what just happened. _

"_You're losing blood quickly, Hoshiko." Byakuya said as he tightened the scarf around her side. She screamed at the pressure he placed on it. Her breathing was slowing down and her vision started to get cloudy. She felt Byakuya wrap his arms around her and lift her up from the ground. Hoshiko grabbed onto his haori tightly as he looked down at her. She clung her body to his as if letting go would make him disappear. The last thing she remembered seeing before blacking out was him flashing away from the site. _

_The first two nights after the incident with Hoshiko, Byakuya started to fear she would close up again and start to isolate herself from everyone. Renji hadn't returned from his mission yet so she refused to sleep in a room without knowing he was there to watch over her. Mitsu and Rikku would check on her but she refused to talk. At night she didn't sleep, Byakuya would walk around at his normal late hours and see her wide awake. He knew why she couldn't sleep so he decided one night to come and sit in her room until she fell asleep. _

_Hoshiko was sitting by her window when she heard a knock at the door, "I don't want to talk." After a few moments she heard the door open and expected to see Mitsu or Rikku, but to her surprise Byakuya walked in._

"_My apologies for coming in without your approval." Byakuya stated_

"…_.Why are you here?" she asked_

"_Because you need to sleep and Renji won't be back for a few more days." He replied walking over to a chair and gracefully sitting down, "Please try and get some rest."_

"_It's not that simple," Hoshiko sighed, "I don't think I thanked you for saving my life. Words can't begin to explain how grateful I am to you for saving my life…again."_

"_You are a part of my household and as such it is my duty to protect all in it." He commented_

"_So that's it, am I sentenced here for the rest of my life? Seiichi's friends were looking for me and I handed myself to them without even knowing it. Seiichi was an evil bastard and kept close friends just as evil as him. If I ever go anywhere outside of these wall…"_

"_No one will hurt you while in my presence; you understand the type of man that I am. So you know you can trust my word," Byakuya paused as he thought for a moment, "I do apologize for not telling you Seiichi's comrades were in search of you. I also wish for you to forgive me for what you witnessed that day."_

_Hoshiko reluctantly thought back to what happened and how he hurt them. She found out that only one of the men survived and he was in confinement, "You saved me." _

"_You shouldn't have witnessed such actions." He commented_

"_Shinigami kill, there's nothing wrong with that." She whispered_

"_Yes there is; Shinigami are supposed to protect and uphold to their duties. I should have handled the situation differently." He explained_

"_They got what they deserved." Hoshiko stated_

_Byakuya sighed, "Don't go back to that dark place Hoshiko. You're better than this; if you consume yourself with hatred it will put you back on track to destruction." _

_She looked away from him, she knew he was right. But watching him kill them regretfully made her happy, "I won't become that person again, I can't. That person hated __**everyone**__; I can't go back to hating, especially not hating Renji, Rikku, Mitsu and….you. Each of you havereminded what it feels like to be happy again and to feel safe. But I can't stop thinking about what would have happened if you had been even a moment late." Byakuya felt a surge of anger pass through him at the thought. He watched as she stood up and walked over to her bed to lie down. She turned her back to him and attempted to close her eyes. Wrapping her arms around herself, she wished Renji was back from his mission and would stay in the room with her. With him in the room, she felt safe from anything. There was something about his presence that calmed her and now she needed that calming feeling. Suddenly she heard humming. Opening her eyes she realized it was coming from Byakuya._

"_What are you doing?" Hoshiko asked, but she was slowly becoming sleepy and relaxed_

"_Humming to help you sleep," Byakuya replied_

"_Where did you learn that?" she continued to ask_

"_My wife." He replied as Hoshiko remained quiet; she remembered Rikku telling her about his wife, Hisana, who passed away. She didn't want to sadden him by talking about her. After a few moments he started to hum again and she felt the calming feeling return. Soon she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore and she went to sleep. Byakuya watched as her breathing slowed and she started to peacefully snore. He continued to hum for a little longer then stood from the chair. Pulling a sheet over her he made sure she was sleeping okay. Again he mindlessly brushed away strands of lose hair from her face. Hoshiko murmured something in her sleep, but she didn't wake up. Byakuya hated when he came in such close contact to her, every time he touched her skin, he felt a guilty tingle run through his hand. It was something he couldn't explain or rather didn't want to explain. Pulling his hand away he quickly he turned to leave her room. _

_After a few moments, Hoshiko slow stirred in her sleep, "Byakuya-Sama?" she looked around and realized he left her room. Suddenly she felt alone again and wished he was still in the room with her. She tried to go back to sleep, but the emptiness of the room was getting to her. Stretching her body, she pushed the sheet off and let her feet touch the floor. Getting up, she made her way to the door and peered outside. She wondered if Byakuya was sleep. Once she was in the halls, she knew that Mitsu and Rikku's room was right down the hall, but something in her wanted to be around him again. She had never been near his room as it was on another side of the house. Hoshiko remembered finding his study a few times during her days of wandering around so his room had to be close. Sure enough there was a hallway that ended with two grand doors that had to be his bedroom. As she walked towards it, she realized what she was doing. How can I just walk up to his room and expect him to let me in? Hoshiko thought, after all he was a noble and it wasn't her place to barge in on him. But he couldn't be asleep yet, I could just explain I needed to be around him since Renji was gone. That sounds so rude and desperate. She sighed as she reached the door. Standing in front of it she wanted to knock, but she didn't know what to say if he opened it. _

_Her fist was moments away from knocking when, "Hoshiko….." She turned around to find Renji walking up to her_

"_Renji?" Hoshiko paused as he ran up to her and held her tightly_

"_I'm sorry, I should have been here. I would have never let you go into town by yourself." He said_

"_It's ok, I understand you are a Fuku-Taichou. You have responsibilities." She replied_

"_Are you alright? Did you need something?" Renji asked as he motioned towards Byakuya's door, Hoshiko looked at it for a moment before speaking,_

"_I was just…..I felt alone for a little bit. And Byakuya-Sama kept me company while you were away." Renji's eyes widened slightly, she called him Byakuya-Sama. She never called him that before, "But I don't want to disturb him." _

"_I will stay with you so you can sleep." Renji stated while guiding her back to her room. As they were walking away Hoshiko turned to glance at Byakuya's door. She wondered if she should have knocked the door and if she did would he have opened it for her? Would he have let her stay with him? Unknowing to her, Byakuya was leaning against the door waiting to see what she was going to do. He felt her outside of his door but couldn't find the will to open it. Yet he knew if she knocked, he couldn't turn her away. He couldn't understand the feeling he had when she was around him. It was a feeling he had long forgotten and ignored since…..__Byakuya sighed heavily as he thought of his wife. What would she think of him now; here he was thinking of another woman and allowing even the smallest feelings to flourish? He knew something was wrong when he saved her from Seiichi's friends. In all his years of composure, he had lost it so easily when he saw her being hurt. Something in him became protective and territorial. Pushing himself off of the door he could help but feel wrong about the situation, Hoshiko was growing on him and he feared the possibilities. _


	39. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

_**Flash back**_

_Renji watched as Hoshiko was sitting next to the window in her bedroom and looking quietly out of it. Things were back to normal and she seemed to open up again. But he still couldn't help but feel worried about her safety. He knew he would have more missions soon but didn't want to leave her alone. He was happy that Byakuya watched over her while he was away, but as a Taichou she wasn't his responsibility. During the past few weeks, ideas of how she could help herself more started to fill his head. He just didn't know if she would agree to it, after all it would involve something she hated at the moment._

"_You look deep in thought and you're too quiet." Hoshiko suddenly stated, he smirked at her before he spoke_

"_I'm just thinking," he paused_

"_About?" she asked_

"_Have you ever considered me training you?_

"_Training me to do what?" Hoshiko asked_

"_To defend yourself; you know how to fight, but not properly. I could train you to defend yourself and even use a weapon." Renji replied_

"_I know how to how to kill someone, isn't that good enough…." She stated as he sighed_

"_Killing someone is not what I'm talking about; I'm referring to protecting yourself when Kuchiki Tachiou or myself can't help you." He said_

"_Then I just won't leave the house." Hoshiko said_

"_You can't expect to stay in this house forever; look I know deep down it scares you, being in the house for so many months and the moment you leave it that happened…honestly it bothers me too. I would love to protect you every hour of the day, but as a Shinigami it's impossible. I would feel better knowing you were able to defend yourself. I'm not saying learn how to kill someone because anyone is already capable of that." Renji replied_

_Hoshiko finally turned to look at him, "What's training really going to prove Renji?" _

"_Well for one thing it would be a great way to relieve some of that rage built up inside of you." He stated_

"_So you want to be my punching bag?" she asked_

"_If that's what it takes to help you, I would be glad to." There was a silence between them for a moment before he continued, "Please Hoshiko, if you don't do it for yourself then at least do it for me so that I can have a peace at mind." _

"…_..I…I'll train with you. But don't expect much from me." Hoshiko sighed as he smiled at her_

"_Good we start this afternoon." Renji stated_

"_So soon?" she asked surprised by his enthusiasm_

"_Of course, I don't have much to do today so I want to use all the free time I have to train you." He replied_

"_Fine." She commented, already she felt nervous about the situation. _

_As Renji said they started training in the afternoon. Byakuya allowed them to use the squad's sparing room to train and Hoshiko was amazed by the size of it. Renji decided to teach her rokushakubō (bo staff), he had seen her hand to hand combat skills and was somewhat satisfied with them, but at the moment he figured what better way to get rid of anger than beating someone with a stick. Unfortunately he was that someone,_

"_Rokushakubō?" Hoshiko asked as he handed her a staff, she examined the wooden weapon in her hands as Renji twirled his own_

"_What you thought I would let you skewer me with a katana?" he asked sarcastically, "It's not my favorite choice of weapon, but it is effective and has great defense."_

"_Rokushakubō over a Katana?"she asked_

"_Personally I would choose the katana over rokushakubō, although they both could easily win a battle. A katana can be used to get inside the swing of a rokushakubō, and just be laid across the limb or body of a staff-wielder...so that when they move, they cut themself. A rokushakubō on the other hand, has the range that a katana can't manage...a rokushakubō at full extension can change range pretty easily. Besides a katana is a cutting weapon and a rokushakubō is an impact weapon, but in the right hands anything is possible," Renji replied as he took a defensive stance and gripped the staff. Hoshiko remained standing in front of him and didn't flinch when he aimed at her, "Attack me." She took the staff in one hand and lazily poked him in the chest. He sighed, she wasn't even showing interest in it. _

"_So the goal was to teach me how to swing a stick?" Hoshiko stated dryly _

"_You're not even good at that __Wairudo." Renji and Hoshiko turned to find Ikkaku sitting quietly across the room. _

"_Ikkaku?" Renji said surprised to see his friend, "What are you doing here?"_

"_I heard you had some free time so I came looking for you but they said you were in here training Hoshiko. So I thought since I had some time and nothing to do I would watch." The bald headed Shinigami replied_

"_Wairudo?" Hoshiko commented as she narrowed her eyes at him. _

"_Wild child, I think it suites you." Ikkaku replied standing up from a chair and walking over to them. He had a staff rested over his shoulder__, "Perhaps I can teach you a few things."_

"_I only agreed to this because Renji probably wouldn't leave me alone unless I did. Other than that I have no intention of learning anything from you." Hoshiko replied dropping the staff to the mat and turning to walk away from him_

"_Maybe it would be easier if I didn't have a weapon….like Seiichi." Ikkaku commented as Renji widened his eyes at him_

"_What are you doing?" Renji mumbled_

"_What? She can kill a Shinigami with his own Zanpaktou but can't learn to "swing" a staff. Pathetic if you ask me," he continued. Renji was about to say something, but his words never processed as Hoshiko picked up the staff and swung at his head. Ikkaku knew it was coming so he prepared himself and easily blocked the attack. _

"_Don't ever talk to me like that!" Hoshiko warned_

"_There's that rage….it does wonders for you doesn't it. The night you killed Seiichi, all your rage took you over and you released it on him. Why not take that rage and put it into rokushakubō? Let it be the division between your sanity and your breaking point." Ikkaku stated_

"_Why learn to defend myself? All it will bring is more fights! More people will want to hurt me." She groaned as tears slowly burned her eyes._

"_There will always be fights; we live to survive and survival requires you to protect yourself and those you care for. So stop feeling sorry and learn how to help yourself." Ikkaku said. Hoshiko knew he was right, so quickly she was ready to give up and close herself off again. Looking at Renji she saw the worry in his eyes, he was trying so hard to help her and all she was doing was giving up, "You ready learn? Or will you give up while you're ahead?"_

_Turning her attention back to Ikkaku she pushed against his staff and stood straight, "I can't give up, what fun would that be?" _

"_There's the girl I was looking for." Ikkaku smiled, "Let's see what you got kiddo." _

_Hoshiko learned the basics from Ikkaku and Renji; Ikkaku had more experience with rokushakubō and showed her how to attack and defend with the weapon. Renji was happy that she finally showed interest in it. He wanted to help her regain her courage and strength and this was one of the few ways he knew how. He smiled as watched her and Ikkaku continue to practice. _

"_Be mindful of your stance; if your stance is loose and open you will not be able to produce a strong impact." Ikkaku stated as Hoshiko did as he said, but it was too late. With one strike he sent her flying across the room. Renji's eyes widened and he was about to help her but Ikkaku placed his staff in front of him, "Sometimes you have to let her pick herself back up." _

_Hoshiko slowly rose to her feet and braced herself to continue, Ikkaku smiled and walked over to her. Renji watched as the two began to spar again. Suddenly he noticed a quick movement in the corner of his eye; turning his head he caught someone leaving the room. He narrowed his eyes and realized it was Byakuya. He was watching? Renji thought as he watched his Taichou disappear. Shaking his head, Renji heard Hoshiko yell. He turned to find her lunging at Ikkaku with the staff tightly gripped in her hand. Ikkaku had to brace himself as she actually caught him off guard for a brief second._

"_I'll be damn! You might just be good at this Wairudo." Ikkaku teased_

"_Again with the Wairudo!" Hoshiko groaned_

_Renji laughed, he was glad Ikkaku joined them perhaps Hoshiko needed to be roughed up both mentally and physically a little to snap her out of her mood. And Ikkaku was just the man for it. His quick mouth could make anyone forget their problems and want to kill him. Hopefully Hoshiko would remain egger to learn and this would work out in her favor. _


	40. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

_**Flash back**_

_Weeks had gone by and Hoshiko was still training with Renji and occasionally Ikkaku. She had become somewhat obsessed with rokushakubō; she wanted to practice every day and when Renji or Ikkaku were busy she practiced on her own. Like today Renji was working on some backed up paper work and Ikkaku was doing something with another Shinigami. So Hoshiko was practicing alone once again. Just as she hit an invisible opponent she felt a presence behind her, turning around she expected Renji or Ikkaku as they had a tendency to sneak up on her to test her reflexes. She swung the staff at the person and what she found surprised her._

"_Byakuya –sama?" Hoshiko gasped, he easily blocked her attack and grabbed the end of the staff, " I didn't know it was you, I thought…..gomennasi."_

"_Why are you apologizing? I came behind you without warning, I should be the one apologizing, Hoshiko." Byakuya stated as he released the staff and looked at her, "I am aware that Renji has been training you along with Ikkaku. Since Renji is working on assignments today, I have decided to aid you in your training. As well as see if Renji and Ikkaku are of any use to you." Hoshiko watched with wide eyes as he went to retrieve his own staff, her nerves shot at the thought of training with him. He was a Taichou and she didn't stand a chance with him. What if she made Renji and Ikkaku look like they had taught her nothing? What if he thought she was weak? Bracing herself, she stood strong and began to focus all her attention on him. Renji had told her stories of Byakuya; in Soul Society he more than lived up to the Kuchiki name, he was an excellent swordsman and had remarkable defenses. Hoshiko figured if she could get an opening, even the smallest one may just be enough to at least strike him. Byakuya just stood there, with his wooden staff held loosely at his side, he didn't even appear to be taking this seriously. Maybe if he is over confident I can use that against him, Hoshiko thought. _

"_You are considering too many options; to be honest none of them may succeed however by standing there mindlessly you leave yourself open." Byakuya warned, Hoshiko widened her eyes as he shunpoed in front of her. She quickly used her staff to block an attack from him and surprised herself when she pushed away and didn't get knocked down. She thought she saw him smirk but quickly disregarded it. Becoming over confident herself, she rushed at him and prepared to hit him but she should have known better. Before she could connect, Byakuya dodged her attack and knocked the staff out of her hand. Gasping in shock she felt a string of pain shoot through her body as without seeing him move he had hit her back and midsection._

"_Breathe." Byakuya stated as Hoshiko tried to catch her breath. Air refused to enter into her lungs, "Did you expect me to go easy on you? As I said, I wanted to see for myself if Renji and Ikkaku are wasting your time. Or perhaps you are wasting theirs." _

_Gritting her teeth, Hoshiko narrowed her eyes at him. Was he trying to get under my skin? She thought_

"_I must tell you your attack was executed poorly; it was slow, your stance was weak and you would not have been able to strike me like that." He stated as he studied her face carefully, "Are you giving up before we even start?" _

"_No….never," With a groan, Hoshiko stood straight and found her staff on the floor, "I know what you are trying to do; Ikkaku has the same method of making me fight him."_

"_Anger still seems to be your best friend; I thought I would use that to your disadvantage," Byakuya said as he locked eyes with her. At that moment Hoshiko felt something in her jolt; the look in his gray eyes was intense and she struggled to look away from him, "Focus." she had rose to her feet and leaned on the staff. Ready to begin again the rest of the lesson was about technique – how to hold a weapon and use it properly. Byakuya was surprised to see her changing her approach and attacking him with strategy instead of blind rage. He secretly smirked at how easily a few mean comments could change her reaction to him. He knew there would be no chance of her hitting him, but he had to admit Renji was right, she did show potential. In the right hands she could be a well skilled…_

"_Stop playing with me; I know your holding back." Hoshiko suddenly took him out of his thoughts; he could see the determination in her eyes. Her breathing was heavy and she held the staff tightly as sweat fell from her face. Byakuya found himself feeling awkward or rather guilty about his sudden desires developing in his mind. Closing his eyes he ignored those unwanted feelings and returned his focus to Hoshiko's next attempt to finally hit him. _

"_Focus on my movements; before I attack my body has a reaction prior to the movement." He stated as she listened to his advice and watched him closely. Preparing herself she went in for the attack. She watched his movements closely and found what she thought was the perfect opening to hit him. But going in for the attack she had yet another rude awakening. Hoshiko gasped as the staff was broke in half; her mind raced as she tried to figure out how and when he broke it. Pain suddenly shot through her wrist as she realized the impact injured her. However she didn't want to show him she was hurt so instead she calmed herself and pretended she was alright._

"_My apologies, I guess I wasted your time. I couldn't even get close to you." What did he do? She thought as she replayed what happened over in her head and tried to conclude what went wrong. He really is incredible, no wonder so many respect him._

_"You came closer than most, Hoshiko," Byakuya stated taking her out of her thoughts, "Despite what you may think, I'm impressed in what you have achieved this far in your training."_

"_Honestly?" Hoshiko asked sounding excited_

"_Yes, I have no reason to lie to you," He paused, "And I would expect the same from you." For a moment she wondered what he meant, but as he reached out for her arm she defensively pulled away._

"_It's nothing." She stated_

"_Are you certain of that?" applying a little pressure to her wrist, Hoshiko tried her hardest not to cringe from his touch, "I believe I said to be honest with me." Hoshiko could only put her head down as he started to tend to her wounds. She started to feel a warming sensation on her skin and looked to find him using what Renji mentioned to her as kidou. Weeks ago he explained various techniques Shinigami used and apparently there were different types of Kidou; some to hurt and some to heal. Renji had demonstrated a kidou spell to her and she nearly lost her hair in the process. But Byakuya seemed skilled and aware in what he was doing. _

"_My apologizes again, Byakuya-sama. You shouldn't have to do this." She commented_

"_Stop apologizing." Byakuya stated as he finished healing her wounds, "This is not one of my specialties, I would recommend seeing Unohana Taichou in the morning if you still feel pain."_

"_Arigato, this is fine." Hoshiko replied as she flexed her wrist and felt no pain. However she felt odd not having his hands touching her anymore. Besides soothing her pain, it was comforting and she missed the feeling of it. _

"_You have had enough practice for today. Rest yourself, tomorrow we will begin again." He said_

"_Again?" she asked, she was happy he would practice with her again_

"_Yes but be warned I don't plan on being gentle with you again." He replied _


	41. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

_**Flash back**_

_Byakuya kept his word, he and Hoshiko trained the next day and for days after that. Renji tended to the duties of the squad; when Byakuya had matters to tend to, he would take his place and train with her. Hoshiko was improving and becoming stronger than either expected. Months ago Renji would take it easy with her and goof at times, but now he had to take her seriously. Sparing with her was like sparing with another Shinigami. Which is exactly what both men wanted, Hoshiko had no idea but Renji explained the talent that he saw in her to Byakuya and once Byakuya experienced it for himself he had no question that she would be an excellent addition to the Shinigami Academy. The only problem now was getting her to the academy. Hoshiko seemed happy to be training but asking her to have interest in the one thing that she hated would be challenging. _

_One day while training with Renji, Ikkaku showed up to practice with her since it had been so long that they sparred together. What she wasn't aware of was that there was an audience watching them. During the fight Ikkaku was surprised at how well she was handling her own. He expected an easy win from her, but whatever Renji and Byakuya had been doing to train her was working. _

"_Baka….did you put Wairudo on vitamins or something?" Ikkaku smirked knowing it would make her angry_

"_I would be careful about what you say Ikkaku." Renji warned. Sure enough Hoshiko got mad at the nickname he had given her and started to attack more determined. Ikkaku felt he had hit a nerve and she would lose her focus, but when the tip of her staff pounded into his chest, he quickly realized the mistake he had made. Placing a hand over his chest he couldn't believe that she hit him…..and it hurt._

"_I warned you." Renji laughed, Ikkaku watched as Hoshiko toyed with the staff and twirled it back and forth in her hands._

"_Trying to show off now, Wairudo?" Ikkaku commented. Again he nearly ate his words as Hoshiko charged at him and hit him on his hands and hip. Pushing her away he was shocked when she locked her staff with his and suddenly forced his own out of his hands. Before he could even react she hit him on the head and sent him to his knees._

"_Ouch! Baka Wairudo! It's just practice." Ikkaku groaned as he rubbed his bald head. Hoshiko narrowed her eyes at how shiny his head now looked._

"_Stop calling me WAIRUDO!...Stupid baldy if you grew some hair maybe it wouldn't hurt so much." Hoshiko yelled_

"_BALDY!" Ikkaku rose to his feet and narrowed his eyes at her, "Did you call me baldy!" Before she knew it he picked up his fallen staff and prepared to fight. Placing herself in a defensive stance she waited for him to attack, but what happened next made her jump. Claps could be heard from the corner of the room. Turning her attention, she found Byakuya standing with two other Taichous; one had long white hair and the other was wearing a pink kimono over his Taichou cloak. _

"_Well done, I'm surprised at how well she has come in less than a year." The white haired one replied_

"_I agree and I understand why you keep her in the house." The pink coated one commented as he look Hoshiko over and raised the tip of his straw hat at her_

"_What is going on?" Hoshiko asked confused_

"_This is Ukitake Jushiro and Shunsai Kyoraku, Taichous of the thirteenth and eighth divisions. I requested them to come and watch you practice." Byakuya replied, Hoshiko sheepishly bowed to them before asking,_

"_Why? Gomennasi for being rude to ask, but what interest would you have of me?" _

"_I could come up with a few ideas." The one named Shunsai replied sarcastically as Ukitake sighed at his fellow Taichou._

"_The reason I requested them to witness this is so you would have three Taichous requesting you entrance into the Shinigami Academy." Byakuya replied as her eyes widened_

"_What?" she gasped, "Why?"_

"_You have great talent Hoshiko; at first I admit it sounded strange for Byakuya to make such a request but after witnessing your talent for myself I personally feel he has made a good decision." Ukitake replied _

"_I agree; the academy can use someone of you talents, like Ukitake I will gladly express my support to Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto."_

"_No." Hoshiko suddenly said as everyone turned to look at her_

"_Hoshiko?" Renji whispered_

"_No….I have no intention of becoming a Shinigami. I agreed to learn how to defend myself and be able to take care of myself when this sentence was over, but I will not become the object of my hate. Day after day I have slowly gotten over my pain, but asking me to do this, is out of the question." She replied as she dropped the staff and walked out of the room. Hoshiko made her way out of the house and found a cherry tree to lean against as she thought over what happened. She didn't want to become a Shinigami, how could she? Becoming one would mean she had gotten over everything that happened to her and no matter what she couldn't. Wind blew petals past her as she pushed strands of hair behind her ear. She felt someone behind her and when she turned around she expected to see Renji but who she found surprised her._

"_Byakuya-sama?" she gasped_

"_You should have expected me to come and talk with you." He stated_

"_My apology for declining your offer; I know it's wrong for me to do so when you have done so much to have me considered. But I can't do this, a Shinigami?…I mean what if I failed and everyone blamed you? I couldn't deal with that." Hoshiko stated_

"_Then don't prove me wrong," Byakuya started, "Becoming a Shinigami is not going to be easy for you; you will have both physical and mental challenges and I believe if you are not ready for it, the mental challenges alone will be the end of you." _

_Hoshiko put her head down as she listened to him, he was right. The physical training would be one thing, but the mental challenges would require strength she wasn't sure she had._

"_Yet, if I didn't have faith in you I would have never considered going to the measures of having you instated into the academy. You have talent Hoshiko, I see it in you and now others should see it as well. Turn your hate of Shinigami into something that drives you to be a better Shinigami. You know better than I why people outside of Soul Society hate it. So be the one that changes it. The decision is yours, Hoshiko. I can't make this for you, but I know what I feel is right." She watched him closely as she was lost for words, he believed in her and his actions proved he was honest in his faith in her. A strange feeling took her over again as it had been happening a lot in the past few months. She admired Byakuya and had learned why he was well respected as a Taichou. Yet now she felt something different, her admiration had turned into….._

"_Byakuya-Sama," Hoshiko and Byakuya turned around to find Mitsu walking up to them, "Few of the Kuchiki Elders would like to speak with you….they said it's important." She stated. Byakuya sighed and quietly walked away to find out what they wanted from him. He knew it wouldn't be good, normally when they wished to speak with him it was criticism. _

"_Kuchiki Elders?" Hoshiko mumbled_

"_Hai, they are the remaining Kuchiki members that conference with Byakuya-sama in many decisions made. Even though he is the head of the family he still has to honor their wishes." _

_Hoshiko wondered what was so important that they needed to speak with him. Suddenly her eyes widened, "Mitsu do you know if they discuss personal matters with him; like decisions he makes for others but can reflect the family."_

"_Well…they have been known to express their concerns about decisions he makes as the head of the family. Even if those decisions are personal to him." Before Rikku could blink, Hoshiko was off, she ran back to the house in search of Byakuya. She figured the Elders were questioning his wanting to enroll her into the Shinigami Academy. After all they probably only saw her as a prisoner and shouldn't be allowed to enter into such a school. Running down the halls she checked various rooms but couldn't find them. When she approached one room she heard voices on the other side. Her nerves shot and she didn't know what to do now that she had found them. Hoshiko wanted them to know she wouldn't join if it brought disgrace to Byakuya, the last thing she wanted to do was make matters worse. Listening quietly at the door she realized they had already started the meeting and she was the topic of their discussion so far._

"_Why would you make a decision like this Byakuya?"_

"_She is a prisoner and nothing else. Shouldn't your graces of letting her stay here be enough?"_

"_The Shinigami Academy doesn't need her bringing down its standards; it gets enough unstable people in it already. She doesn't need to add to it."_

"_Don't tell me you are falling….."_

"_She has shown more promise than some of the prospective Shinigami I have seen so far," Byakuya interrupted slightly annoyed at their words, "Other Taichous have witnessed her talent and would be content to explain this to Genryusai Yamamoto." _

"_Despite all that she has to take the entrance exam and there is no way she will be able to pass it more less enter into the academy." _

"_You should not prejudge; the exam merely tests her knowledge which can be taught to her." Byakuya commented_

"_The academy only accepts those whom demonstrate high reiatsu, she probably doesn't even have that qualification. Yet you want to allow her to attempt this and when she fails it will be because of your decision."_

"_She already possesses high reiatsu, in fact I'm surprised you haven't noticed her reiatsu seeping through the door as she listens to you criticize her." Byakuya commented as Hoshiko's eyes widened, he knew she was there all along. Before she could even move away from the door, Byakuya shunpoed and opened it then pulled her into the room, "Since you so freely have comments about this woman, you should be able to tell her to her face." _

_Hoshiko was lost for words; she didn't know what to say, a part of her agreed with them, but after Byakuya defending her how could she let him down._

"_Gomennasi, I wanted to say this to Byakuya-sama but I suppose you all need to hear it as well. I mean no disrespect in my actions; I am greatly in the Kuchiki family's dept already for having me here. This is why I have made the decision… to enroll into the Shinigami Academy. I cannot promise I will be an exceptional student, but I promise I will work hard and do my best to show Byakuya-sama has not made the wrong decision." Hoshiko said as she bowed in front of them. One of the elders twisted his face and the look Byakuya gave the table made them all rethink their statements._

"_Fine, as the head of the Kuchiki family, Byakuya has the right make decisions even despite __**our **__judgment. I just hope you can keep your word." An older woman stated as she watched Hoshiko's expression brighten up._

"_Arigato! I will, I promise." Hoshiko said as she bowed again and quietly left the room_

"_Interesting." The same older woman commented while looking at Byakuya._

"_May I ask what has taken your interest now, Ankara?" Byakuya asked_

"_Why would I share that with you, when you already know the answer," Ankara paused, "I'm just surprised it would be her, but to save another argument I will leave the discussion for another time and place. You may leave Byakuya." _

_While leaving the room, Byakuya still had an annoyed expression on his face. He hated meeting with the elders, they felt the need to run every aspect of his life. Even when he wanted to marry Hi….._

"_Byakuya-sama," Hoshiko said as she waited for him to exit the room, "Please forgive me for disrespecting your privacy like that. I just didn't want you to be in trouble on the account of me."_

"_It's no trouble Hoshiko, I stand by my decision and I hope you stand by yours. To prepare for the entrance exam Renji shall help you and I will do my best to aid you as well." He replied_

"_Arigato, Byakuya-sama." She smiled, suddenly she didn't know why but she reached out and hugged him. Byakuya's eyes widened and he knew he should have pushed her away but he couldn't. Mindlessly his own arms wrapped around her and embraced her back, it felt good having her in his arms. As time passed he reluctantly released her and looked down at her._

"_You're welcome, Hoshiko," Byakuya replied, "Tomorrow you will continue training."_

"_Hai! I shall see you in the morning, Byakuya-sama." Hoshiko said as she bowed and walked off. He watched her as she left him and couldn't shake the feeling of not holding her anymore. Slowly closing his eyes he groaned as thoughts of Hisana crept into his mind again. What would she think of him if she knew what he was feeling with Hoshiko? Before she died she asked him to find and protect Rukia which he did. But Hisana hadn't requested anything about him growing feelings for another woman. How could he feel anything for another woman, he loved Hisana and still did. Byakuya felt as if he was dishonoring everything he stood for. _

"_You look puzzled, Byakuya-sama." He turned to find Rikku walking up the stairs, "I was told you had a meeting with the elders tonight so I figured I would make sure all the elders were still in tack. I know how much they raise your temper."_

"_It went well, Hoshiko will be taking the entrance exam in a few weeks so she can enter into the academy." He replied_

"_That's good to hear. I trust the elders were not happy to hear that, but I also think there is more to this than a simple argument between you and them," Rikku commented as she looked at him closely, "Something else troubles you."_

"_I feel like I'm going against everything I stand for as a man and a husband."Byakuya confessed, he needed to speak with someone and he knew the best person to speak with would be Rikku._

"_So my theories were correct, you are falling for her." _

"_I don't believe I am, but when she is around something happens to me and I lose focus of what is right." He said_

"_Byakuya," she started out seriously, after hearing his troubles her voice had turned to the mothering tone he had gotten used to over the years, "No one will ever take Hisana's place in your heart; believe me I know how much you love her and even years later you still grieve for her. Yet when you are around Hoshiko you can't deny how you feel. Do you feel the same emotions as when you were with Hisana?"_

"_Yes and no…..I feel protective and….close to her like Hisana, yet something is different. Something I can't explain." Byakuya replied, "This is absurd, maybe I am just losing my mind."_

"_Again you are thinking things over too much Byakuya. To be honest this maybe the first time I don't have an answer for you. But I do believe you should consider how this affects Hoshiko as well. Despite her admiration for you, there may be more to it than just that." Rikku commented as he looked at her oddly, the whole Idea of there being something between him and Hoshiko was making his head hurt. He regretted bringing up the conversation with Rikku, but perhaps she had a point. He just felt that if he allowed these feelings for Hoshiko to grow, it would be as if he had forgotten about Hisana and he never wanted to do that._


	42. Chapter 40

**A/N: I am soooooooo sorry for updating late on this story but once again I'm having laptop issues and then I got caught up in finals and then I got/still have the flu :(….sigh, but I really wanted to continue writing this story I just have been sick and my mind is everywhere but where it should be in this story. Again I apologize and will get back into things. I only have one chapter so far but if my flash drive will be nice to me I will upload more.**

**Chapter Forty**

_**Outside Hueco Mundo **_

His eyes scanned over the night skies and landed on the endless sands of Hueco Mundo. In his altered vision, he could see the heated battle between Lunuganga and a group of outsiders. His eyes focused on the orange haired Shinigami as his spiritual pressure flared but what caught his attention was the intensity of his inner Hollow. He felt a surge run through him as it was heavy and made his body begin to _crave_. Despite his better judgment, he had feed off some of his reiatsu moments ago but stopped when the boy became aware something or someone was draining him. _She must have feed from him before,_ he thought to himself as it was obvious the boy knew what was happening to him.

"How are things going?" a young woman suddenly appeared next to him

"They came across Neliel and her brothers." He replied

"Aww she's so cute, I could never seem to go after her no matter how hungry I was." She commented

"Lunuganga has found them," he added

"Are they still alive?"

"For the moment, yes; the female Shinigami froze Lunuganga." he replied

"How well did that work out for them?" She continued to ask

"Why don't you just use your mask and see for your damn self, Asako?" he said annoyed

"Because you're such a good narrator…plus I'm lazy." Asako replied with a smile

He sighed, "Of course he broke out of it and dragged them down into the sand. The female Shinigami has been separated from the group. After that I lost sight of them, but now they're in the Forest of Menos." he replied as he swept his hand over his face.

"Ugh, those rejects. What about the boy? He still alive?" she asked sarcastically, "Not like I'm waiting for him to die or anything."

"Sure you're not Asako, but to answer your question yes he is still alive." He replied, "Have you heard anything from Kiyomi?"

"Not recently, other than the fact that Aizen has made Hoshiko his pet and the outsiders have come for their friends that's all she has knows right now." Asako replied

"Like I care about what Aizen plays with. What about the Hogyoku?"

"Nothing, Ulquiorra hasn't even said anything about it to her." She sighed

"This waiting is becoming annoying, I'm almost tempted to just go in there and get the damn thing ourselves. Plus I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry, Rikashi."Asako commented

"You're one to talk about being hungry." Rikashi replied

"Relax, I'm just saying that going in there abruptly will get us nowhere. Besides, we should see what these outsiders can do. They made it this far after all." She stated

"They're in the Forest of Menos; chances are they're not going anywhere." Rikashi replied

"You never know, we have been surprised before." Asako said

"Fine, we'll wait some more. Now let's get back to the others." He stated as they both soon shunpoed away into darkness.

Ichigo held his chest as the feeling of someone draining his energy lingered over him, "Hoshiko?" he whispered as it felt as if she was feeding off of him again. He quickly shook the feeling off as he realized where he and group had landed.

"What is this place?" Renji asked as he looked around

"We have to get out of here," Neliel yelled, "We're in the Forest of Menos!"

"What! That's what is down here?" Renji panicked, "We have to find Rukia!"

"Everyone be quiet!" Ishida commented as he put his hand up, "We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."

In the distance something could be heard coming towards them. Ishida sighed as he knew his statement was said too late as their location was already found. Ichigo and Renji withdrew their Zanpaktous and prepared themselves for what was around the corner. Dondochakka and Pesche grabbed Neliel as Ichigo motioned for them to hide.

"We have to get rid of these guys fast and find Rukia." Ichigo stated

"You don't have to tell me that." Renji commented as the first of what would be many Menos appeared in front of them.

"Let's go!" Ichigo yelled as the four men rushed at their opponents.

~*_**Damita's Bedroom*~**_

Damita narrowed her eyes at Grimmjow as his words hit her like a rock; _how could he want to kill her?_ She thought, _why would he want to?_

"I don't understand? Why….."she stumbled as he just continued to stare at her

"I hated you; I hated everything about you, just the thought of you made me sick. I couldn't understand what was so great about you and it annoyed me that everyone made such a big fuckin' deal about you…..So I figured I would kill you and prove how useless you are, but after numerous tries I realized what was making me sick wasn't that I hated you… but because I was really attracted to you." He paused as she only looked more confused at him, "I wanted to turn my attraction back to hate so I figured what better way to rid myself of those damn feeling then to get rid of the source. Look how well that worked out for me. No matter how hard I try, I can't help from being drawn to you and I don't fuckin' know why."

"You wanted to kill me because you had feelings for me…so it's wrong to have feelings for me?" she asked

"For me, yes." He replied

"I know I should be angry and yell at you, but something in me won't let me. I don't know why but I can't stop this pull that's drawing me towards you. Somehow I feel like I know that it is wrong, but I can't stop. Aizen has made his want for me obvious yet all I can see is you, Grimmjow." Damita stated as she walked over to him and placed her hands on his face, "Am I wrong for wanting you…."

Grimmjow grabbed her wrists and pulled them away from his face, she expected him to push her away but what he did surprised her. He leaned down to her and gazed into her eyes as he pressed his lips against hers. It was weird having him be so tender with her. It was almost like he was waiting for something.

"What are you waiting for?" she mumbled into his mouth

_You're boyfriend to bust through the door and try to kill me, _he thought to himself,

"Are you playing with me again?" Damita groaned slightly annoyed, suddenly something in him snapped. Breaking the kiss, Grimmjow forced her against the wall. Pressing his body against hers, he was somewhat surprised at how her body was responding to him. He could smell her need, reaching up he ran his fingers through her hair. She sighed heavily at the feel of his strong hands was tormenting; she wanted him but what if he turned around and rejected her again.

"If I have you…I can't let go of you; if I make you mine no one can have you, not even…" Grimmjow started as he leaned down and kissed Damita's neck. She let out a soft moan of pleasure. Grimmjow's body was acting on its own as his mind drifted off for a second. This was Hoshiko, Ichigo's woman and Aizen's desire. But the realization of his want for her, made him disregard all of those concerns. As he watched her body responding to his touch, he felt his own desire building. Yet he wondered if she just wanted him because her options here weren't great and she _hated_ Ichigo? But what if deep down Hoshiko really wanted him? All of these questions loomed around his head but his body refused to acknowledge them. No matter what it just felt right being with her, it was like something was pulling them together. Suddenly Damita reached a hand out and ran her fingers down his chest, sending sparks down his flesh to his stomach. Grimmjow's mind felt like it had been shocked to life. Now the predator wanted his prey. Damita stared at him, something was different; his eyes held something primal, something almost possessive. She was about to question him but his lips roughly pressed against hers.

"Grimmjow…" Damita moaned, the sound of his name made him growl into her mouth. Whatever thought of turning back now was no longer a question. Feeling him press harder against her, she felt how turned on he was. Purposely she rubbed her lower half against him, making him release her from their kiss. He moaned deeply as she knew exactly what she was doing to him.

"You're playing with fire, woman." He groaned out

"It seems like it's a little spark right now." Damita taunted

Grimmjow smirked; she was a little minx teasing him. She waited for a quick remark from him but instead he picked her up and led her to her bed. He leaned down for another kiss, but she placed her hand on his chest. Grabbing his jacket she dragged it down his arms so he would get the idea she wanted it off now. He let her take it off of him before he leaned down to her lips and took her bottom lip into his mouth. Damita stuck her tongue out and ran it over his top lip, Grimmjow growled and pushed her down onto the bed,

"Open!" He ordered her as he let her lip go

"No," she said defiantly," You open yours."

Grimmjow grabbed her chin and force her mouth open, "I thought I told you I don't play prey." Shoving his tongue into her mouth, the feeling of his tongue running against her own made Damita shiver but the battle of prey and predator was just beginning. When she bit his tongue playfully, he groaned and grabbed her wrists to pin them to the bed.

"Stop playing with me." Grimmjow smirked as he trailed light kisses down her neck and back up to her chin, licking and nibbling along the way. Releasing her wrists, he watched as she grabbed at his waist and pulled him closer to her. She stuck her tongue out at him teasingly before running it along the scar a Shinigami had placed on him. Damita smiled at the reaction she got as Grimmjow growled deep in his chest.

"Now you're playing with me, woman." Grimmjow smirked as he leaned over her again, his mouth attacking her neck this time as his sharp teeth scraped against her soft skin. Damita shivered as his tongue started to draw circles over the abused flesh. Grimmjow used his knee to spread her legs open. Resting himself between her, he never released her neck as his hands found her top. She didn't protest as he practically ripped her shirt off leaving her in only a black bra. He broke away from her and sat back, his breath was ragged.

"I thought this outfit didn't come with annoyances." He gestured to her bra

"Complaining over nothing," She replied as he only locked eyes on her chest, perhaps he was wrong in thinking Hoshiko was flat chested. She wouldn't be winning any competitions against Orihime but she was far from flat chested, "They don't do any tricks if that's what you're waiting for."

Grimmjow snapped out of his trance at her remark and suddenly grasped her chest in his hand. Damita moaned in shock and pleasure at the sensation.

"So they do have tricks," Grimmjow whispered seductively in her ear. His hands continued their onslaught on her chest and he watched amused at her reaction. But soon he tired of the feeling of her lace bra underneath his hands. In a quick movement he flipped Damita over on her back and unhooked the annoying garment. Pulling it out from underneath her, he processed to caress her back. Damita was anxious and annoyed as he was teasing her.

"What are you waiti….." her words were stopped as she felt his tongue run along her spine, "Grimmjow, stop this teasing." She turned onto her back and looked up at him heatedly. Grimmjow reached his hand out and pressed on her stomach, making her lay down on the bed. He dragged his fingers below her belly button and felt her tense as he slowly went lower. Grasping the hem of her pants, he pulled them and left her in the remaining of her underwear.

"Relax." He sighed as he leaned over her and proceeded to press his body against hers. Heat radiated between them as Grimmjow didn't think twice about anything other than claiming her. They were so caught up with each other that they hadn't realized they had an admirer watching the show from the door. With even the smallest crack, Nnoitra watched as Grimmjow took what was Aizen's possession. He kept his spiritual pressure hidden as he enjoyed the show and wondered what Aizen would do if he knew the cat was playing with his toy.


	43. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty-One**

_**Flash back**_

_Hoshiko walked nervously around Byakuya's garden; she was waiting for the results of her entrance exam and worried if she had passed or not. After weeks of studying and practicing with Renji and Byakuya, she took the exam and gave it the best that she could. While taking the test she thought of how many people were known to have failed it dozens of times before finally passing it. What if she was one of those people but even after taking it numerous times she never passed it? Sighing, she tried to calm herself and think positively. She just wanted to pass the test so badly it was driving her crazy. In the beginning she wanted nothing to do with the school but after all the encouragement and Byakuya's meeting with the elders, she had to pass it. If she didn't it would prove the elders' right and make Byakuya's decision a mistake. _

_He worked so hard with her; even when he was busy with his duties as Taichou he still took time to study with her and make sure she understood the material that she would be tested on. Late at night when everyone should be sleeping he helped her and answered all her questions. He was so intelligent; Hoshiko enjoyed listening to him speak about Soul Society and its values. Honestly she was happy the test was over but she already missed the nights of staying up late with him and the time they spent together. A blush crept over her cheeks as she remembered the night she caught him drifting off while she read from a book. She couldn't help but watch him closely as he seemed so peaceful at the time. It was that night that she realized how attractive he was, he truly was handsome. Hoshiko also remembered how her curiosity had gotten the better of her when she reached out and touched his face. A surge went through her hand as their skin connected, at first she thought it was just static but the feeling was something more. It felt right touching him, she hadn't even realized that Byakuya was awake yet refused to open his eyes; he enjoyed the feeling of her and wanted to enjoy it a little longer. It wasn't until him sighing heavily that she quickly moved her hand and sat back down in her seat…... _

_What's wrong with me? Hoshiko wondered as she felt embarrassed at how easily she could be flustered by thoughts of Byakuya. She shook her head madly and was annoyed at herself; it was like a school crush. Besides what good would it do her? He was a Taichou, a noble and…."Just stop thinking about him," she told herself_

"_Hoshiko!" before she could turn around, she was hauled into the air by a charging Renji, "You passed! You passed! You're in the academy!"_

"_I did?" Hoshiko gasped for air as he held her tightly_

"_Yes!" he replied, "Congratulations!"_

"_Wow…"she paused as the realization finally kicked in_

"_Why are you so surprised?" Renji asked as he placed on her the ground, "You worked hard for this, you deserve it."_

"_Yeah, I do….right? I mean now I'm officially a student and on the path of being a….Shinigami." she replied_

"_Relax, you can handle this. Don't lose faith before you even start. Okay?" he watched her face carefully_

"_You're right. I guess it just hit me as a surprise to pass on the first try." She replied_

"_Don't get cocky." he teased as she smirked, "But to celebrate your achievement, the guys wanted to have a few drinks at Jin's."_

_Hoshiko smiled, "Jin's? That sounds awesome. But….by guys you mean…"_

"_Ikkaku, Yumichika, myself and whoever else wants to tag along." Renji replied_

"_Is this an excuse for Ikkaku to get drunk?" Hoshiko laughed as she thought of Ikkaku having to be carried out of the place._

"_Perhaps," Renji commented, "But everyone is happy for you and it would be a nice break from all the studying and practicing." _

"_I guess you're right…..but, besides that, I want to say arigato Renji." She said_

"_It was nothing, you did the real work." He said as he placed a hand behind his head shyly_

"_It wasn't nothing Renji; you helped me more than words can say. Even before helping me get ready for the exam, you have been a great friend and have been there for me when I needed you the most. Arigato for that Renji." Hoshiko stated as she reached out and hugged him. Renji was caught off guard as her arms wrapped around his waist. But soon his arms enclosed around her. He felt happy to hold her in his arms; a part of him wished he could always hold her like this. Thoughts of being honest with her started to fill his head, maybe if I just tell her…_

"_I should tell Byakuya-sama I passed." She suddenly said breaking him out of his thoughts_

"_Right, he would be happy to here it from you." Renji half smiled, he was disappointed in himself. The opportunity to tell Hoshiko how he still felt about her was right in front of him but he chickened out. From the moment he met Hoshiko he was attracted to her and after all this time he only fell harder for her. But he didn't want to make the wrong move and ruin the friendship they had. _

"_I will see you later Renji." Hoshiko said as she walked back towards the house to find Byakuya. _

_Hoshiko approached Byakuya's study and nervously knocked on his door. Her heart raced as she waited for him to respond. Truth was he was just as nervous as she was. He found out earlier about her results and it took everything in him not to run up to her and congratulate her. He was proud of her and wanted to express his happiness but wasn't sure if he should. When a few moments passed Hoshiko heard his voice and slowly opened the door. He was sitting at his desk working. _

"_Gomenasai for interrupting you, Byakuya-sama. I just wanted to tell you the results of my exam in person." Hoshiko started as he raised his head towards her, "I passed." Her smile was something Byakuya couldn't turn away from. It was genuine and contagious; he started to feel a smile spread across own his face. _

"_Congratulations Hoshiko, I'm very proud of you." Something in Hoshiko fluttered at the thought that he was proud of her. _

"_Arigato Byakuya-sama, I owe a lot to you..." she suddenly paused as she wanted to tell him how much he meant to her but how could she? She wished she could just tell him how much she appreciated him and that she wanted to continue to make him proud. But besides that she wanted to tell him that she..._

"_Hoshiko are you all right?" She hadn't notice when he stood up and appeared in front of her. Byakuya was worried as she stood dazed and staring at the floor. Hoshiko raised her head quickly and smiled. Secretly laughing at herself as she felt like an idiot._

"_Hai! My apologies for that, I just lost my train of thought for a moment." She said as he still looked a little concerned, "I'm fine, really. But I do want to thank you again. I know I'm not the easiest person to deal with and I owe you a lot for putting up with me and helping me pass the exam." _

"_No need to thank me Hoshiko," Byakuya commented, "You had to take the exam and pass it on your own. You should be commending yourself for that." Hoshiko felt that fluttering feeling again. Suddenly she couldn't stop herself from moving, her arms reached out and she hugged him. He was shocked for a moment but his arms wrapped around her almost instantly. Byakuya felt his body relax as he embraced her. It just felt right having her in his arms. _

"_My apologies Byakuya-sama I know it must be inappropriate for me to do this." Hoshiko mumbled into his arm. He was too caught up with the embrace to care what was appropriate or not. Holding Hoshiko reminded him why he was hesitant to be near her; so easily he could lose himself and not care about what was right or wrong. But was it wrong to fall for her knowing what it could mean for the both of them._

"_Byakuya-sama? Are you all right?" It was her turn to ask as he was lost in his thoughts. Moments passed before he responded_

"_My apologies Hoshiko," he replied. She starred at him for a moment as she realized that he had the same expression that she had moments ago. Was he thinking about..._

"_You should have fun tonight; I know Renji and the others will be excited for you." He broke through her thoughts_

"_You already knew?" Hoshiko paused as he had a slight sheepish smile on his face._

"_I am a Taichou, Hoshiko. There is not much I don't know in Soul Society." He replied. You don't know that I'm falling in love with you, she thought to herself before smiling at him, "However I am pleased you still came and shared this news with me. Enjoy yourself, you deserve it. But remember your first day at the academy starts tomorrow." Byakuya said_

"_Hai!...I will let you get back to your work." Hoshiko replied as she released him. It felt odd not holding him anymore. Slight emptiness took her over, even Byakuya felt it. He watched her leave and then returned to his desk._

_**Present**_

Grimmjow sat in bed; he was still in _Damita's_ room, just hours ago he made love to her and despite what he tried to convince himself, he made love to Hoshiko and he enjoyed it. He enjoyed taking her and making her desire all he did to her. Damita was just a costume for Aizen to play with, she was still Hoshiko and that's why he wanted her. Grimmjow had long pushed the covers off his body and sat there watching Damita's sleeping form. She was still covered and laid on her side facing him. His hand reached out and found the side of her face,

"….Mine. Need to make you mine….Ichigo can't have you anymore." Grimmjow whispered as he caressed her face. He had to make her his, to him he already did. Like an animal he found his mate and would make sure no one else claimed her. But deep down he still worried what would happen if Damita turned back into Hoshiko. Would she still feel attracted to him? Would she want to kill him again? At this point he knew turning back was not an option. So what was he to do now? Damita's groaning took him out of his thoughts; he turned to find that she was dreaming. Soon she was turning onto her back and started moving her arms. Grimmjow leaned over her to see if she was okay. What was she dreaming about, he wondered….

_A young girl stood in front of a man and watched as the wind tossed his messy hair from side to side. She laughed at how cute he looked when he was deep in thought. His hands nestled in his pockets as he looked away from her. _

"_Hey…." She called out, he turned to her and narrowed his eyes at her, "Do you love me?"_

"_What?" he asked watching as the wind now assaulted her waves of hair_

"_Do you love me…" she repeated_

"_Why do you ask such a stupid question?" he groaned_

"_Because you tend to be stupid." She laughed_

"_You make me stupid, but I love that about you." he said_

"_You say that now."_

"_I will say it now and forever…_ _Etsuko" _

_The girl smiled but suddenly her smile faded as a knife was plugged into her stomach. She gasped and held on to the hand of the person that stabbed her. The man she was taking with seemed frozen and unable to move. As he was looking at Etsuko die he soon leaned back to fall on the ground but the ground turned into the ledge of a building. Just as he was about to die….._

Damita jumped up and started breathing heavily,

"What's wrong?" Grimmjow asked concerned

"Dream…..it was just a dream. But I felt her….I felt her die." Damita said confused

"Who? What are you talking about?" he asked

"Et….Etsuko." she replied surprised she remembered the name of the girl

"Who is Etsuko?" he continued to ask, _was this another side effect?_ He wondered

"I don't know….." Damita replied, "But I feel like I should."

"It's okay, it was just a dream." Grimmjow said as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms in soothing motion. Suddenly he started drumming his finger tips on her shoulders; he was making a beat to an unknown song.

"What are you doing?" she asked

"I don't know, it just felt like the right thing to do." he replied

"It feels nice." she commented with a small smile. Grimmjow smirked and continued drumming on her shoulders. Soon the realization that they both were still naked hit both of them. Damita reached to cover her body but he grabbed her hand.

"I just thought it bothered you." She said

"It's not…..I…..I need to tell you something." He started, "I'm in lov…."

"Damita….have you awoken yet?" Damita's eyes widened at the sound of Ulquiorra's voice from behind the door.

"'I'm getting dressed." Damita yelled back as she scrambled to get her clothes. She tossed Grimmjow his pants and hurried to find her own. If Ulquiorra saw them she didn't want to know what he would do and worse if Aizen found out, "I'll leave and you can leave after me so he won't see you."

"Like I give a fuck if Ulquiorra sees me." Grimmjow replied as he was about to walk towards the door

"NO!" Damita almost screamed grabbing his arm and standing in front of him, "You know what could happen if he tells Aizen. I can't….I can't let you get in trouble for me."

"You don't know half the trouble I'm already in because of you," He stated as she lowered her head, "But I don't care…nothing and no one is going to keep me from having you." Damita didn't know what to say as he leaned down and kissed her.

"Grimmjow…." She whispered

"I'm falling in love with you….I think I have from the first time that I saw you." Grimmjow admitted

"Grimmjow I…."

"Damita are you all right?" Ulquiorra asked as he attempted to open the door. She quickly kissed Grimmjow on the lips and ran to the door to stop Ulquiorra from coming in.

"Gomenasai….I was putting on my shoes." Damita said as she stepped out the door.

"No need to explain to me, Damita. We have a meeting with Aizen-sama. Your presence is requested." Ulquiorra replied

"Hai." she said as she closed the door behind her. Grimmjow heard them start to move down the hallway. He figured if there was a meeting all the Espada were needed. He finished getting dressed and walked to the door to leave as well. Just a few steps away from the door he heard someone behind him.

"What do you want?" Grimmjow groaned as he already knew who it was, Nnoitra smirked as he walked up to the Sixth Espada.

"Thought I would catch up with you a little while headed to the meeting." Nnoitra replied

"Talk to the walls asshole." Grimmjow stated annoyed

"Or I could talk to Aizen." Nnoitra said

"Go do that then." Grimmjow groaned wishing he would just get to whatever point he had or leave him the hell alone.

"I bet he would like to know what you did with his pet while master's was away." Nnoitra commented as Grimmjow suddenly stopped in his tracks. He turned around to look at the Fifth Espada.

"What?"


	44. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty-Two**

_**In Hueco Mundo **_

The two figures hurried back to their hideaway underneath the sands of Hueco Mundo; it had been so long since they were free to move around topside that it was a nuisance having to hide again. Since Aizen took over and created his army he invaded their territory and left them having to stay hidden behind black hooded robes and live under the sands. It was enough that they lived this way, but what bothered them the most was that he _advanced_ their food supply. They needed Hollows to survive and Aizen was making it harder for them to get what they needed. Battling Arrancars wasn't difficult but doing so without bringing attention to themselves was complicated.

She pushed her hood down as they walked down the sand covered stairs, "I'm still hungry." Asako's voice was ragged. Normally Rikashi would complain about her constant whining but he understood her hunger. It was something they all shared. Luckily for him he fed off some of the Shinigami's inner Hollow; little as it was it gave him enough to be content with.

"I will head back out with Yasuo and bring a Hollow back." Rikashi stated as he was moments from walking into the cave. Suddenly he stopped and held his hand out to stop Asako in her tracks.

"What?" she asked confused but then narrowed her eyes at the opening. He placed his hand on his Zanpaktou and cautiously entered. He found the rest of his friends sitting around the cave calmly but just as he was about to relax he found the center of their attention.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Rikashi stated as he watched the silver haired fox smile at him

"Just to talk." Gin Ichimaru replied in a calm tone

"He has a message from Kiyomi." A male in the group replied

"And no one tried to kill him first?" Rikashi asked and Gin laughed

"On their behalf, in their current state it's not like they would be able to do much. After all I am not a Hollow," Gin started as they all stayed quiet, "Don't be shocked, I am well aware of who and what each of you are; aside from Kiyomi's verifications I have some background about all of you."

"We're listening." Rikashi stated as he still held his Zanpaktou but wanted to hear what Gin had to say, if he knew too much about them there was a possibility Aizen knew as well. They also needed to know what message Kiyomi had for them and if she was still alright.

"I know you all are the little Hades group; originally Shinigami from Soul Society. When it became known what you each were doing and that you possessed Dark Zanpaktous, Genryūsai Yamamoto ordered your capture and execution. Everyone believed you were dead, but somehow you were exiled here of all places." Gin replied

"They took some of us from the academy so not all are Shinigami." A female in the group said

"Either way you found a ghost," Rikashi commented as he raised the hood off of his head. Messy black hair sprung free from the hood, locking his golden brown eyes back on Gin, he motioned for him to continue. Gin caught sight of a scar on the side of his face as well as a tattoo on the left side of his neck.

"It was a short run you all had, but memorable. The only question I always had was where did the kiddies disappear to?" Gin smiled, "And then Kiyomi popped up."

"How did you find out about her?"Asako asked as she pulled down her hood and revealed pin straight ashy blonde hair. Her eyes were as dark as night as they never left Gin.

"She hid herself very well and continues to do so. In fact if you're worried Aizen or anyone else knows about her you have no need to be. I'm the only one who knows her secret. I found a small Hollow trail from her and put the pieces together. However instead of exposing her, I removed the evidence and made sure no one knew what she did." Gin replied

"Why cover for her? If you know what she is then you could have taken her to Aizen." Rikashi asked

"Why would I want to do that? All little Kiyomi is doing is surveillance; you all need to know what Aizen is doing from inside the walls of Las Noches and she was the way in. Which brings me to the message she sends," Gin paused

"I still don't get why you're helping her," Rikashi stated as Gin finally opened his eyes

"Because I want Aizen dead more than any of you," Gin replied as all of their eyes widened, "Now about that message."

_**Flash Back**_

_Hoshiko laughed to herself as she and Yumichika watched Ikkaku arm wrestle Renji. The evening started out quiet until Jin gave them the first round of sake. Drinks were on him for Hoshiko's achievement. Renji had invited a few other people that she had never met but they easily started talking once sake got into their system. One guy was named Izuru; he seemed very shy and to himself. The other guy was similar to him seeming like a loner, his name was Shuhei. The woman was Rangiku and was very outspoken and trying to get the guys to socialize more. _

"_Come on Izuru, have something to drink. You're acting like a bore. This is a celebration not a funeral." Rangiku said as she waved a cup of sake around his face. _

"_I just don't want to have too much too drink tonight, Rangiku."Izuru replied_

"_Awwwwwww." Rangiku whined as Hoshiko laughed, "You haven't drank anything either. If you're going to be a Shinigami then start drinking like one."_

"_I'm fine really. I'm just enjoying the fun before the hard stuff starts tomorrow." Hoshiko replied_

"_Leave Wairudo alone," Ikkaku started as he hit an empty cup of sake on the table. Hoshiko gritted her teeth at him. Why he continued to call her that she could never understand, "She can't drink like you Masumoto. She's a feather weight."_

"_Don't start Ikkaku." Renji sighed. He already felt the sensation of the sake taking him over and didn't feel like breaking up a fight between Hoshiko and Ikkaku._

"_What? I'm just defending our new baby." Ikkaku replied_

"_I'm not a baby, baldy. I can drink like the best of them." Hoshiko mumbled, "And besides you should watch how you drink old man. It's not like every cup of sake is going to spring a strand of hair." Everyone at the table laughed as Ikkaku's head turned red and his temper rose. Renji rubbed his temples as he knew the tonight just took a turn for the worse. _

"_You challenging me,...Wairudo?" Ikkaku asked as he leaned over the table and narrowed his eyes at her_

"_If you want to take it that way fine! Bring it badly." Hoshiko replied leaning over the table_

"_JIN! ANOTHER ROUND OF SAKE!" Ikkaku yelled_

"_This is going to be fun." Rangiku laughed _

"_Do we really have to do this?" Renji sighed still rubbing his head as one of Jin's servers brought a tray of sake to the table_

"_HAI!" Ikkaku and Hoshiko replied in unison_

"_Bottom's up Wairudo!" Ikkaku said raising his first cup_

"_May one of these shots grow you hair badly" Hoshiko laughed_

"_How about we find another way to settle this?" Renji continued but it was too late._

"_Itadakimasu__!" They both yelled as they downed the first shot. As they both went for another Renji could only watch as the tray of sake started to disappear. Within ten minutes there was only four cups left and two were already being picked up. _

"_Jin more sake...and bring some hanazake." Hoshiko yelled, Ikkaku eyes widened at the mention of hanazake._

"_You know about hanazake?" Ikkaku asked_

"_I worked here didn't I?" She replied_

"_What's hanazake?" Shuhei asked confused_

"_Sixty-five percent sake...Jin keeps it in the back. Compared to that the stuff we're drinking is watered down." Hoshiko replied_

"_You sure you want to do that Wairudo? I'm not dragging your ass out of here. That stuff has been known to knock a man out if drank straight." Ikkaku said_

"_I can drink you under the table and leave you there badly." Hoshiko replied _

"_Bring it on!" Ikkaku yelled. The rest of the table looked on in awe as sake and hanazake was placed on the table._

"_I want to try some." Rangiku said as she popped it open and poured some into a cup. Raising it to her mouth the smell alone was enough to knock anyone out. But she took it down like a champ and hit her cup on the table, "That was nothing."_

"_Wait ten seconds." Ikkaku and Hoshiko said. Soon Rangiku felt her head daze and her body felt weightless. _

"_Oh my...that is..." Rangiku tried to find her words_

"_You still want shots of that?" Renji asked Hoshiko as she and Ikkaku were already pouring cups. _

"_I have to do this." Hoshiko replied_

"_Why?" Renji asked but then it hit him; this was Ikkaku's way of creating a bond with her as well as opening the circle to her. They were a wild bunch and Hoshiko needed to prove she was more than a newbie. The two continued their battle and attacked hanazake like it was nothing. Renji watched on in amazement as the two barely even flinched from their drinking. He alone only had four cups of sake and was feeling light headed. _

"_You know Renji I have always wondered how far down your tattoos run." Rangiku suddenly said as she scooted over to him_

"_Careful Rangiku hanazake has been known to make babies." Ikkaku warned as he downed another cup_

"_You're lying Ikkaku." Rangiku said_

"_He's not...you can't lie while drinking it. It brings out all those dirty little secrets." Hoshiko said_

"_So why aren't you two falling over yourself." Yumichika asked_

"_Because we have been ignoring the sensations since we started; strong mind over matter, especially since we both have something to prove." Hoshiko replied_

"_Damn right!" Ikkaku stated as he went for a cup but something in him stopped_

"_It looks like you have reached your limit Ikkaku." Yumichika stated as he watched his friend contemplate what to do next. From past experience, Yumichika knew five cups of hanazake would make Ikkaku see stars. The cup dangling in Ikkaku's hand was his seventh so any moment now the bald Shinigami could topple over. _

"_Stop talking non..." Ikkaku stopped as he placed the cup back on the table._

"_What's wrong Ikkaku? The little lady had enough?" Hoshiko teased with a smile_

"_Quiet Wairudo! If I'm getting to my limit I know your candy ass has reached your max four cups ago." Ikkaku replied_

"_I'm feeling the same way I felt about an hour ago badly...but if you can't finish…." before Hoshiko could complete her sentence he downed the cup and hit it on the table. Hoshiko was about to say something when suddenly Ikkaku fell forward. Everyone gasped, Hoshiko tapped her hand on his head and when he didn't move she smirked, "I win." she declared. _

"_Yay!" Rangiku cheered as she started picking at Ikkaku's nose. _

"_You won...this time, Wairudo." Ikkaku whispered_

"_Alright time to head home, you have to be at the academy in the morning." Renji sighed as he stood up _

"_I win badly; don't worry if you forget in the morning I sure as hell will remind you." Hoshiko said_

"_Come on, Hoshiko." Renji stated as he dragged a confident Hoshiko towards the door_

"_Good night!" Rangiku yelled at them as she waved. Renji felt bad for leaving Izuru and Shuhei to deal with Rangiku. He knew Yumichika could handle Ikkaku, but when Rangiku drank anything could happen. Renji quivered as he remembered the last time they drank and he ended up on the roof in nothing but his underwear. _

"_I won!" Hoshiko yelled into the air proudly_

"_I was there I saw it Hoshiko," Renji laughed as they started walking back towards Byakuya's house_

"_I'm happy." She said_

"_You should be Hoshiko." He commented not realizing what she meant by happy_

"_Renji, I'm really happy." Renji stopped as he realized she was speaking with a slur_

"_Hoshiko?" Renji asked watching her closely_

"_Yes?" she laughed, suddenly she leaned back and was about to fall back but Renji Shunpoed next to her and caught her_

"_Hoshiko, you're drunk….finally." he stated_

"_Hehe…" Hoshiko smirked as she wrapped her arms around Renji's neck. He took that as an opportunity to pick her up in his arms and carry her the rest of the way home," Are we going home?"_

"_Yes we are." Renji replied_

"_Why?" she continued to ask_

"_Because you need to get some sleep for tomorrow." He replied as he started to shunpo the rest of the way. Hoshiko seemed to be dosing off in his arms. When he reached the house he hurried to get her into her room. Placing her on the bed he hoped she would sleep it off. Renji turned to leave, but as he did, Hoshiko fell out of the bed. Renji turned back around as he heard the loud thud. He hurried over to her to make sure she was alright. As he did she slumped against the bed and started laughing._

"_Hoshiko, you okay?" he asked, concern edging his voice. Hoshiko lifted her head and looked at him, barely comprehending. Then as if a fog was lifted she smiled,_

"_Umm, yeah…" she slurred_

"_Hoshiko, do you know how drunk you are?" Renji half smiled_

" _Yep!" Hoshiko replied as she tried to stand but almost fell over_

"_Come on lets get you back on the bed." he coaxed gently_

"_Okay…." She smiled, "Hey Renji, have you ever liked someone that you probably shouldn't? Or possibly loved someone that you shouldn't?"_

_Renji was taken back by the question, "Why do you ask?"_

"_I mean, what if you like someone that it would be a problem if you did? For instance you like them but you shouldn't and probably would never return your affection. But you really like them and they have helped you so much that you can't help but be attracted to them. Should you tell them?" she continued as Renji's eyes widened. He watched her closely as his heart seemed to start beating faster at the thought that she was trying to explain that she had feelings for him. _

"_Hoshiko…." He paused_

"_I know it's an odd question, but I wonder if I'm wrong for liking this person. Should I ignore it and pretend the feelings don't exist? What if it ruins the friendship that we have? I just don't know what to do." Hoshiko interrupted. Renji felt his own feelings threatening to expose themselves as sake still lingered in his system. How many times had he dreamt of a moment like this; to have Hoshiko in his arms, to hold her, to have her express feelings for him, but in his dreams Hoshiko wasn't drunk. He knew drunken words were sober thoughts but if something was going to happen he didn't want it to be like this._

"_Renji?" she asked realizing he wasn't answering her_

"_Hoshiko It's okay to fall for someone. I know how you feel because I have fallen for….." It took everything in Renji not to throw Hoshiko down on the bed and tell her how he felt, but he knew if he admitted to desires he would have regret in the morning, "I can't Hoshiko, gomenasai." He let go of her and left the room. Closing the door behind him he could hear her calling for him, but ignored it and decided he needed to leave the house before he turned around._

"_Renji?" Hoshiko called out as she stumbled off the bed and headed for the door. As she opened it he was nowhere to be found. She entered the hallway in search of him worried that she said or did something to offend him. She wondered if she had asked the wrong questions, had she hit a soft spot? Did he love someone and it hurt to talk about things like that? She didn't mean to ask him but he was such a good friend she knew if there was anyone she could talk to about her problems it would be him. Hoshiko sighed as her head was slowly starting to spin but she had to make sure that he was alright. She called out again hoping her voice was loud enough to get Renji's attention but not wake up the whole house. Walking further down the halls she didn't realize she had unconsciously found the door to Byakuya's room. She stood silent for a moment as she just stared at the door; the subject of her questioning was behind it. Hoshiko was falling hard for him but didn't know what to do about it. He was a noble and technically she was still sentenced to work for him but something happened over the months of being apart of his home. She started out hating him and every Shinigami in Soul Society, but after all that he had done to help her and saving her from self destruction twice, she couldn't help but let feelings flutter. He was everything she respected in a man; he was honest, loyal, wise, strong, understanding, and intelligent and no one had to question if he was attractive. Hoshiko wanted to tell him, but she worried if she did he would reject her and make her feel foolish for even considering he would be interested in her. After all she was still a prisoner in his home and there was no way anyone in his family would see her any differently. _

"_Damnit….." Hoshiko sighed, why did she have to fall for him? Even if she became a Shinigami she wouldn't be good enough for him. And then how did she ever expect to compare to his previous wife? She had seen pictures of her and she was beyond beautiful. Rikku had told her stories of how she was a great woman and Byakuya adored her greatly. Everyone in the house did. There was no way she could met those standards. _

_Turning around to leave she didn't realize someone was behind her and accidently bumped into them. Since she was drunk the smallest thing could knock her down, so whoever this was felt like a moving wall to her. Looking up from the floor, Hoshiko saw the black pants of a Shinigami and assumed it was Renji._

"_Renji? I have been searching all over for you." She said trying to stand only to fall again, but this time a pair of strong arms caught her as they kneeled down to her level. That's when she realized it wasn't Renji, "Byakuya-sama?"_

"_Hoshiko, are you all right?" Byakuya asked as he looked her over. He quickly realized that she was drunk. How much did she drink? He wondered as she looked down in shame_

"_I'm fine….I was just looking for Renji?" Hoshiko replied. Something in him felt odd about her looking for Renji. Perhaps he wished she said she was looking for him._

"_You should be looking for your room; you are highly intoxicated and in need of rest." He stated_

"_I know but I need to apologize to Renji, I think I upset him." She said_

"_I am sure he will be fine." He didn't even give her a chance to fight with him as he picked her up in his arms and started to carry her back to her room. Hoshiko wrapped her arms around his neck and forgot about anything that was bothering her. It felt right being in his arms. She was quiet as he walked through the halls, when he reached her room he placed her in the bed and settled her in._

"_Goodnight Hoshiko, get some rest." Just as Byakuya was about to leave Hoshiko sat up in bed and reached a hand out for his arm. He turned to face her. Their faces met within a few inches of each other. Her throat suddenly went dry as his gaze met hers._

_"Is something wrong, Hoshiko?" he asked, yet she didn't reply. Her eyes were frozen in his. Mindlessly she reached out her other hand and touched the side of his face. She stroked his face with gentle fingers causing Byakuya watch her closely. He knew he should stop her, she was intoxicated and was not acting as herself but he couldn't ignore the feeling of her touch. _

"_Byakuya-sama….." Hoshiko paused as she tried to find her words, "I…. gomenasai." He was about to ask her what she was sorry for when suddenly she pressed her lips to his. Byakuya's eyes widened as he was lost for words. He knew he should push her away but his body was betraying him and reacting to her. Soon he was kissing her back. Byakuya's hands moved up her arms and found the back of her neck. He began to kiss her passionately; a kiss that he had been holding in for too long. Hoshiko's fingers pressed along his jaw line but soon crept down to his chest, holding onto him as well. He took the lead, deepening the kiss between them. Her lips parted, granting him the access he desired. His tongue brushed against hers demandingly. She took the time then to explore his mouth, soon the two were battling for dominance as neither of them were satisfied with the gentle kiss she had started. Hoshiko's hand found the inside of his kosode and started to press against his bare chest. She heard him groan at the sensation her fingers were causing. Byakuya was lost in a wave of pleasure; he was starting to love the feel of her lips against his, it was a feeling that he longed to experience. His heart was racing, his blood was pumping and making his body want more of her. But as Hoshiko was untying his hakama, he knew he had to end this before he did something he would regret. _

"_Stop…." It was low, but she heard him say it under his breath. What she wasn't aware of was that he was trying to tell himself to stop. She took it as a sign that she did something wrong _

"_Byakuya-Sama…I shouldn't have," Hoshiko quickly said as she tried to push herself away from him, but Byakuya grabbed her shoulders_

"_Did you want to do that Hoshiko? Did you want to kiss me?" He asked staring into her eyes_

"_Gomenasai, Byakuya-Sama…." She stumbled for her words_

"_Answer me, Hoshiko," Byakuya said sternly as he narrowed his eyes at her_

"_I did, yes I wanted to kiss you," Hoshiko replied putting her head down_

"_Then don't apologize." He commented_

"_What…." She tried to say but he started whispering something she couldn't recognized. Suddenly she relaxed and her eyes felt heavy. Byakuya held her shoulders tight as she passed out. He used kido to put her to sleep, she was highly intoxicated and had to be at the academy in the morning. Slowly he laid her down and settled her once again in bed. Standing up he quickly left the room and headed to his own, thoughts of her still fresh in his mind. The feeling of her lips still embedded into his. If there was any question if he wanted her, his body was the answer. He desired her and wanted to take her even as she lay drunk and unaware of her actions. It took everything he had to control himself and be a gentleman. But he worried what would happen if he was placed in that situation again. His conscious may lose the battle against desire and he wouldn't be able to stop himself. Byakuya sighed heavily as he could only imagine Hisana's disappointment in him. How could he let this happen? How could he let this woman come into his heart and invade his mind?..._

"_What have I done?" he asked himself in the silence of his room. It was clear that Hoshiko had strong feelings for him, but how could he return them so easily. He thought he could just ignore the feelings and get past them but now there was no way around it. He was in love with Hoshiko. He knew it was wrong and would only make things harder for the both of them. But at the moment he could careless, he just wanted her. _


	45. Chapter 43

**Chapter Forty-Three**

_**Present, In Las Noches**_

"Ohhh, now I have your attention," Nnoitra paused, "I spied with my little eye you breaking Aizen's pet in. I must say it was really nice. Especially the second round; how did you get her to bend her…" Before Nnoitra could continue Grimmjow grabbed him by the throat.

"You piece of shit, mind your fuckin' business." Grimmjow warned as a cero was forming in his free hand

"Grimmjow, you know better than that. Little Sixth Espada lets not play rough, I just simply wanted to give my opinion of your "act" that's all. It was good actually; I got hard a few times." Nnoitra laughed

"I don't give a shit if you're the Fifth Espada, if you try to get involved I will….."

"You will what? What do you really think you can do to me, Grimmjow? Know your place. Now," Nnoitra paused as he shoved Grimmjow away from him, "I could keep my mouth quiet if you let me see if she is as good as she sounded last night."

"I'll kill you, you son of a….."Grimmjow was about to advance on him when,

"Grimmjow-kun," they both turned to find Kiyomi walking up to them, "Nnoitra-kun, Aizen-sama is looking for the both of you."

"Men are taking little girl." Nnoitra stated

"With all respect, Nnoitra-kun, I am merely the messenger. Now if you please." She replied

"We'll finish this." Grimmjow said as he narrowed his eyes at Nnoitra and turned to walk away. Nnoitra groaned and turned to look at Kiyomi

"I don't appreciate you interfering in my conversation and I hate being called Nnoitra-kun like we're fuckin' friends or something. You're just a weird bitch that works for Aizen. Remember that the next time you talk to me." He warned. Kiyomi smiled innocently at him

"My apologies, Nnoitra," she paused, her eyes glowing white. Nnoitra narrowed his eyes at her and suddenly he was pushed high against the wall by an invisible force, "I don't like you; you are an egotistical bastard that likes to show off his status when he is merely the Fifth Espada."

"What the fuck are you bitch?" Nnoitra yelled

"That is none of your concern…..along with what you witnessed between Grimmjow and Hoshiko. Do you understand me?" Kiyomi ordered as Nnoitra's body went limp

"Yes I understand." Nnoitra replied

"Good, now go to the meeting, they are waiting for you. And next time don't linger in hallways mindlessly." She said as she let him down and watched him walk away from her

"Still playing games I see little one." Kiyomi turned around to the voice approaching her

"He was middling," she replied

"Like you're not," He laughed, "At least you didn't kill this one."

"I only killed one Arrancar that no one would miss. I needed to feed. This form takes a lot out of my body." Kiyomi admitted, "But what are your reasons for stopping to talk with me…..Gin-sama?"

Gin smiled like a Cheshire cat, "I spoke with your friends, you're right that Rikashi is a hot headed one."

"I expected him to be, but did you tell them of my theories?" Kiyomi asked

"Yes, in fact I left the kiddies to practice their _abilities_. If it works Aizen will be in for more than he would like and make him open to kill." He replied

"They will need to be stronger, in the current state each of them are weak. Hollows are harder to come by while staying hidden." Kiyomi commented

"I took care of that….as an act of generosity I brought two Arrancars with me," Gin paused as he remembered how Asako pulled out her Zanpaktou and attacked one of the Arrancars mercilessly while feeding off of his life force, "It's quite gruesome when you all are hungry. I also agreed to bring them _food _when needed so when the time comes they are strong enough."

"You have my appreciation, Gin-sama." She said

"Trust, the appreciation is all mines." He smiled

_**Espada Meeting**_

Aizen sat at the head of the table as he waited for all of the Espada to enter. But he was more concerned about Damita. He watched as she sat away from her place next to him. Perhaps he was too forward with her; after their last encounter in his bedroom she had kept her distance from him. He suspected she didn't know how to act around him and was nervous. He smiled to himself, she just needed _encouragement_. He would have to help her break through whatever was holding her back and keeping him from having her. Despite the lengths he went through to create an alternate personality for her, Hoshiko was still his and a man could only wait so long to have his prize, especially with Kurosaki nearing the castle. This was the reason for their meeting. Ichigo and his friends had entered the castle walls and where wondering around it in search of her and Orihime. Aizen was aware of them being trapped in the Forest of Menos, but somehow they escaped and were on the move again. He needed to take measures before they got too close. And one of those measures was to have Hoshiko ready to handle Ichigo's welcoming.

"I know this meeting is of short notice, however there is a situation. Kurosaki Ichigo and his associates have entered Las Noches." Aizen began as Grimmjow and Damita's eyes widened. Both for different reasons; Grimmjow was in disbelief at how soon he would have to face _Hoshiko's boyfriend_ and Damita for having the chance to kill the man who hurt her.

"Kurosaki Ichigo is here?" Damita asked as her hands slammed down on the table

Aizen smiled, "Yes he is, he is here to save his friend, Inue Orihime."

"The girl being held captive?" Damita asked, she had only heard of the girl, her interactions with her were limited

"Yes, in fact I wanted you here so you would be able to prepare yourself to face him. It is only right you should be the one to kill him." Aizen replied

"I don't have a Zanpaktou." She said

"You will. In fact Grimmjow is going to start training you with it." Aizen stated as Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at him

"Good." Damita commented

"The group has separated and each of you will be involved in making sure Damita will only have to deal with Ichigo. No one is to hurt him. Understood?" Aizen watched as all the Espada nodded in agreement, "Excellent. Now Grimmjow you and Damita are excused for training."

Grimmjow stood up from the table and walked out of the room without saying a word, he knew this was bad he needed to figure out what to do. He didn't care if Hoshiko killed Ichigo, but deep down he couldn't let her do it. If anyone had to kill him, he would rid the boy out of the equation himself.

"Damita," Aizen called as she stopped her steps

"Yes, Aizen-sama?"

"When you are done, please come see me in my quarters. I wish to speak with you in private." He continued as her body froze. She hoped she wouldn't have to be alone with him but how could she say no to him.

"Understood, Aizen-sama." Damita replied then left the room. Standing outside she sighed heavily at the thought of Aizen trying to make a move on her again. She wished she could tell him she had no interest in him and she wanted to be with Grimmjow, but something in her know it would probably be better not to. At least not right now. Looking around the hallway she found Grimmjow leaning against a wall. She walked up to him,

"Grimmjow?" Damita asked slowly as he seemed deep in thought

"I can't let you do it," Grimmjow said

"Do what?" she asked confused

"I can't let you kill Ichigo; I have to do it for you." He replied

_**Flashback**_

_It was the first day at the academy and Hoshiko had a first class headache. Despite her hangover she dressed up in her Shinigami Shihakushō for women and tied her hair in a high ponytail. Leaving the house she tried to talk with Renji and Byakuya before she left but neither of them where able to be found. She figured the two were busy with duties and she just had to see them later. Hoshiko couldn't remember anything except beating Ikkaku at drinking last night. After that everything was a blur; she remember images of Renji having to carry her home and putting her in bed and then she had a dream about…Byakuya. A blush crept up to her face as she recalled the intensity of the kiss. He came into her room and she kissed him passionately. He kissed her back and they were enjoying each other then the dream ended and she woke up with the room spinning. That damn sake was pain in a cup but the dream made up for everything. _

"_WAIRUDO!" Hoshiko stopped in her tracks as Ikkaku's voice interrupted her thoughts. Looking around she searched for the bald fool but she was by herself. Suddenly a small rock hit her and she looked up to find Ikkaku sitting on a roof top with Yumichika._

"_BASTARD!" Hoshiko yelled annoyed_

"_Nice outfit." Ikkaku laughed, "Hey, Yumichika look how adorable she looks."_

"_Shut it" Hoshiko yelled, "You're mad I beat you last night like a big bald baby."_

"_We will have a rematch!...But be a good girl at school today, Wairudo." He continued_

"_Come down here and talk trash to my face." She stated as she balled up her fists at him_

"_Come up here so I can." Ikkaku smiled_

"_Son of a….!" Hoshiko groaned. He knew she couldn't get up there without breaking her neck. He probably shunpoed up there, "I will get you on the ground badly, just you wait!" Ikkaku laughed as she walked away and continued towards the academy._

"_You know sooner or later she will learn how to flash step and you won't be able to irritate her from a distance without consequences." Yumichika warned_

"_I know that!" Ikkaku groaned, "But I might as well enjoy it while it lasts."_

_Hoshiko was caught off guard by the size of the academy; it was unbelievable, there were students everywhere. She walked around looking over her surroundings and still couldn't find the right words to describe the feeling she had being apart of something so great. _

"_If you keep your mouth open like that I think the guys will defiantly like the new student." Hoshiko quickly closed her mouth as she realized it was hanging open from awe. Turning around she found the owner of the voice. A young girl with ash blonde hair stood in front of her._

"_Well that wasn't embarrassing." Hoshiko laughed to herself_

"_Relax, it happened to me too when I came in." _

"_This place sure is something." Hoshiko said_

"_Yeah it is," she agreed, "My name is Toyama Asako."_

"_Kurani Hoshiko."_

"_So you're who all the news is about." Asako stated_

"_Huh?" Hoshiko asked confused but then to add to her confusion two students passed them by and narrowed their eyes at her_

"_Everyone knows who you are here and…what you did." Asako replied quietly. Hoshiko felt her heart stop as the realization kicked in. They all knew she was the girl who killed a Shinigami and was staying in the Kuchiki house as a prisoner. _

"_Oh….." Hoshiko didn't know what to say, she was an outcast on the first day _

"_Ignore it, you're not the first person to kill someone and you won't be the last." Asako said_

"_Arigato, I guess." Hoshiko half smiled_

"_Come on don't want to be late for class do you." Hoshiko was happy Asako was being nice to her; she could only imagine how everyone else was going to treat her. When they walked into the classroom it was enormous, there had to be over hundreds of students. _

"_Wow." Hoshiko commented_

"_Tell me about it." Asako replied as she was busy looking at guy a few rows down from them. The Sensei walked in and introduced himself as Gengoro Onabara, Chief Instructor for Class one, the special accelerated class. He explained that he would be placing them in groups of three to start the day's first activity and they would be in that group for the remaining of the class. Hoshiko and Asako were placed together and a guy was asked to join them. He was quiet and barely said a word to them. Hoshiko took notice of his medium length black hair and how it was a mess covering most of his face. When the class was separated equally, Gengoro Onabara had the class go out to the training area to spar in kendo._

"_Great the first day and already I have to train with a stick." Asako complained as she picked up a bokken, "That's what I get for being in an advanced class."_

_Hoshiko held hers tightly as she had never practiced with a bokken before, she hoped she would be able to adapt to it as she did rokushakubō._

"_You look nervous." Asako said at Hoshiko_

"_No, it's just new to me." Hoshiko replied_

"_It's not that bad." Asako replied as she turned to their teammate, "Hey why the hell are you so quiet?" When he didn't respond she raised her bokken and swung at his shoulder. Before it could connect he easily blocked it with his own and narrowed his eyes at her._

"_Don't." was his only comment as he pushed it aside. Asako smirked and used the tip of her bokken to try and push some of his hair out of his face. But again he pushed hers away with his own. _

"_Scared your mug will scare us?" Asako teased, "Someone must be grumpy." _

_Hoshiko sighed as he towered over Asako's small frame. He was tall; something about him reminded Hoshiko of Renji. _

"_Is there a point to you annoying me?" he asked_

"_I think I liked you better when you were silent." Asako replied. Suddenly Gengoro Onabara announced they would practice in pairs first. Asako gladly took this as an opportunity to find the hot guy she was checking out earlier, "I'll be back I want to see if he'll let me play with his stick." Hoshiko watched as she bounced away leaving her with their unnamed teammate. _

"_Lets start." He said at he positioned himself in front of her. Hoshiko accidently positioned herself as if she was holding a bo staff. She felt embarrassed as some of the other students chuckled at her mistake, "ignore them."_

"_I have never practiced with this before I was trained for rokushakubō," Hoshiko admitted to him_

"_It shows." He commented, "Just copy my stance; you can at least do that." She did as he did and held the bokken firmly. She practiced swinging it and watched how he countered it. When it was her turn to counter she mimicked his moves._

"_I got it." Hoshiko smiled proud of herself, "Arigato for showing me."_

"_Yeah." He replied_

"_I never got your name…mine is Kurani Hoshiko by the way." Hoshiko said _

"_Hokkaido…. Hokkaido Rikashi." he replied_

_Byakuya watched her closely for most of the day at a distance; he had made sure they wouldn't have a run in while she was leaving but he couldn't help but make sure she was all right. He had learned that she and Ikkaku had a drinking contest last night and she drank more than a normal person should. Especially if they were drinking hanazake; as a youth he had heard rumors of hanazake from his grandfather and he himself had the unwanted pleasure of having some himself. He knew Hoshiko was lucky enough to remember who she was when she awoke so there was no way she would remember what happened between them last night. Byakuya was grateful that he could act normal around her and didn't have to worry about her feeling sorry for what she did. But he also wished she did remember. Because he remembered every second of it; the feel of her lips were still engraved on his and wanted to kiss her passionately again._

"_Like a parent on the first day of school." Byakuya turned to find Jushiro Ukitake walking up to him_

"_I am merely observing the potential new Shinigami of the academy." Byakuya replied_

"_And among them is Hoshiko. Relax I expected you to be here I just assumed you would have let her see you so she would know you're supporting her." Jushiro stated_

"_I don't want to distract her, this is her day." Byakuya sighed, it wasn't a lie he just left out that he didn't know how to handle speaking to her right now._

"_She is doing well. She has even made new friends." Jushiro pointed out as Byakuya noticed the students she was engaged with. She was doing well and slowly adapting. He knew she didn't know much about kendo but she was learning and just as she had learned rokushakubō she could learn this. He and Jushiro continued to look on as the students practiced._

_After a while Hoshiko was getting better and Rikashi didn't want to admit it but he had to start taking her hits seriously. It wasn't hard to block but her progression showed. As Hoshiko was coming down with a direct hit another bokken suddenly stopped hers. They both expected to see Gengoro Onabara, but instead it was another male student._

"_Careful with that, wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." He teased as Hoshiko narrowed her eyes at him_

"_If you will excuse us, we're practicing." Hoshiko mumbled pushing his bokken away_

"_You don't need practice to kill. You should know that." The guy continued_

"_Is there something you want to say? Cause I don't like men who dance around their words." Hoshiko said annoyed_

"_But you like it when they lie down and let you kill them don't you princess?" he whispered as her heart dropped, "Kuchiki-slut. Sweet deal if you ask me; kill someone and live like a rich whore for the Sixth Squad's Taichou. Maybe I should kill a Shinigami too." Suddenly Hoshiko raised her bokken and was about to crash down on his head when Rikashi used his own to stop her. _

"_He's not worth it." Rikashi stated but Hoshiko was angry, how dare this guy talk like that. _

"_Let the little woman fight her own battle. After all these are just wooden swords, what harm can she do? I would be more scared if it was real and I was on the ground." _

"_It's okay Rikashi, this is practice after all. He just wants to practice." Hoshiko stated focused on the guy, she wanted to hurt him and make him eat his words. If everyone who was looking at her weird thought like him she figured at least he had the balls to say something to her. Now she just had to crush those balls in front of the entire class._

"_Good little girl, figured you wanted to play. I won't hurt you too bad, don't want Kuchiki coming after me." _

"_What's your name asshole?" Hoshiko asked_

"_You can call me Sato." He replied_

"_After this I will call you my bitch." Hoshiko stated as she took a defensive stance. Rikashi stood aside and watched as the two began to spar. Within a few hits the sparing turned more aggressive as Hoshiko was filled with rage. Sato had to change his stance as she was coming at him hard. Few times he had to dodge high attacks towards his head. When a hit sent him to the ground, he gritted his teeth as some students started laughing. He quickly stood and attacked again. Hoshiko was doing well blocking his attacks but he wanted to embarrass her. She was prepared for an attack to her shoulder but he stuck in a hit at her right hip. The impact stung and caused Hoshiko to fall to her knees. Asako saw it and quickly came back over to them._

"_You look good on your knees princess, but I bit Byakuya told you that already." Sato commented. Hoshiko was fuming; her hip hurt but her pride hurt more. Rikashi was about to interfere but she placed her hand in front of him to stop him. _

"_This is my fight." Hoshiko stated as she rose to her feet and prepared to fight again. _

"_You want more?" Sato asked, he smirked as she only waited for him to attack. When he did she concentrated and dodged his move then used her bokken to hit him hard on his neck. The blow caused him to fall forward on his face. Before he could stand, Hoshiko aimed at his head and narrowed her eyes at him._

"_Stay down. You're right I have killed before and this bokken is aimed directly at a soft spot. So don't try me." She warned. After a few moments she removed the bokken and backed away. Sato slowly rose to his knees and groaned at her._

"_Now don't you look nice on your knees bitch? You want to eat something while you're down there?" Asako laughed as Sato only narrowed his eyes at her. _

_Hoshiko was still walking away when Asako and Rikashi waked up to her to make sure that she was all right._

"_Hey, how is your hip?" Asako asked_

"_It's fine." Hoshiko lied_

"_You're limping, so that's not such a good lie." Rikashi commented_

"_I said its fine, so let's just get back to practice." Hoshiko said_

"_We're not your enemies Hoshiko. We just wanted to make sure you are okay. Sato was just an asshole, but he probably won't be messing with you any more." Asako said_

"_Yeah well he probably won't be the last." Hoshiko groaned, Sato is a jerk but his words were in the minds of other students. _

"_Fuck them." Rikashi suddenly said_

"_He's right, who cares what any one here thinks about you. You came here to be a Shinigami so to hell with them. They should be more concerned with their own damn lives." Asako agreed_

"_I guess you're right. I shouldn't let someone bring me down the first day." Hoshiko sighed_

"_You're damn right we are. So man up girly," Asako smiled, "Now onto more important matters….did you know the guy I was practicing with has a twin brother at the academy?"_

_Rikashi sighed, he supposed this is what he got for having two girls as his teammates._

"_Oh hush Rikashi. But what do you say Hoshiko? I mean their cute." Asako stated_

"_Gomenasai Asako, I'm not interested." Hoshiko replied_

"_Got your eyes on someone already?" Asako asked as Hoshiko's eyes widened_

"_Not really." Hoshiko replied while scratching her head_

"_Love struck huh? I know that look. Hope he's hot." Asako smiled_

"_I'm going to try and find my balls. This conversation is making me feel uncomfortable." Rikashi sighed as he started walking faster._

"_Come on Rikashi don't be like that. I can find someone for you too if you don't already have a girlfriend." Asako yelled behind him. His body froze for a second at her last statement but he continued walking away from them. Hoshiko watched as her new teammates continued to argue. It was nice knowing that at least two people didn't care about her past. Her hip still hurt and she knew it was swelling up, but at least she proved herself. As long as she could go home and not worry Renji or Byakuya about her hip she would be okay. Or so she thought; unknown to her Byakuya had witnessed the whole incident and it took everything in him to not shunpo down to her and save her. He knew she had to fight her own battles but his blood was still boiling from her being hit like that. He hated when people fought dishonorably. He was proud Hoshiko defended herself, but he worried about her safety now. He wished he could do something to protect her but how could he without acting like an over protective parent?_

_Unknown to Byakuya someone had already figured out a solution to at least one of Hoshiko's problems. Renji had watched on as well and wanted to interfere but he knew better. He knew it would do more harm than good for Hoshiko's pride if he went down there and acted liked an overprotective brother. However he and Ikkaku already planned to "talk" with Hoshiko's antagonist later. _

_**Present, In Las Noches**_

Grimmjow did as Damita wanted; he started teaching her how to use a Zanpaktou. Because Izanami was hidden somewhere, Aizen gave her a "fake" Izanami to play with. She caught on quicker than he would have liked her to. But he knew it was her instincts. Aizen could mess with her mind all he wanted, but for someone like Hoshiko fighting was embedded into her body's core.

"Am I getting better?" Damita suddenly asked

"I don't know why you care so much about this; I already told you you're not going to kill Kurosaki." Grimmjow replied

"I have to kill him for what he did to me. You're the last person I would think that wouldn't understand my need to have revenge. What's wrong Grimmjow?" Damita looked at him closely as he had been distant and lost in thought through the entire practice session.

"You don't need revenge; if you want it let me do it for you." He replied, _at least then Kurosaki stood a fighting chance, _he thought. He knew if Ichigo fought Hoshiko he would never be able to seriously fight her and would probably let her kill him if it came down to it.

"No. I want this and you can't stop me. Look if you don't want to help train me I will do it on my own." Damita was about to walk away when he grabbed her arm.

"Stop," Grimmjow started as he looked down at her, "I don't want you to do something that you will regret."

"What would I possibly regret about killing the man who hurt me?" Damita asked annoyed

"Everything," he sighed

"What are you talking about? I don't understand why you care so much about who I kill." She stated

"I just do, so…..drop the issue." Grimmjow groaned

"I can't." she said

"Damnit Damita." He yelled

"Why are you being like this?" Damita yelled

"Because I'm trying to project you." Grimmjow yelled

"From what?" she demanded

"From yourself!" he groaned angrily

"What?"

"If you kill Kurosaki you will never forgive yourself." He replied, Hoshiko was about to question him when Ulquiorra walked into the room.

"My apologies but Aizen-sama would like to speak with you in his quarters, Damita." Ulquiorra stated

"No." Grimmjow said as he still held Damita's arm.

"I have to do as he orders." She said

"The fuck you do. The bastard just wants to….."

"I was ordered to speak with him Grimmjow, you can't stop that." Damita said as she pushed his arm away. She knew what she was getting herself into and she would have to face Aizen sooner or later. Grimmjow tried to stop her but Ulquiorra stood between them as she walked out the door.

"Move!" Grimmjow yelled

"This is none of your concern Grimmjow. You were assigned to train her that is all." Ulquiorra said

"Maybe you thought I was asking for you to move." Grimmjow said as he advanced on him. If he had to go through Ulquiorra he would.


	46. Chapter 44

**Chapter Forty-Four**

_**Present, In Las Noches**_

Damita slowly walked through the halls as she was a few doors away from Aizen's room; she toyed with her fingers as she thought of possible ways to get out of his room before he tried something. She had sounded so confident and strong when she was talking with Grimmjow but the truth was she scared. If he came on to her she only had two choices, she could sit there and let him do as he wished or she could turn him down. But then he would question why she was rejecting him which would lead to her having to tell him that she was in love with Grimmjow. Sighing she wished she could turn around and run back to Grimmjow but she was still somewhat angry at him. How dare he tell her what to do as if he could make decisions for her? Killing Ichigo was her revenge and he had no business getting involved in it. After all he was just a Shinigami, why should she care if he lived or died?

Reaching her hand out to knock on Aizen's door, Damita held her breath as she waited for him to answer. After a few moments she heard him call for her to enter and when she did her heart dropped. The room was dark again but this time Aizen was relaxed on a couch with his legs crossed as usual. Damita noticed that he wasn't wearing his uniform instead he had on black loose fitting pants and a red silk robe. The robe looked like blood on the white couch as he let it hang open to expose his chest. As Damita walked further into the room he smiled at her and motioned for her to have a seat next to him. Damita slowly sat down as far away from his side as she could.

"You called for me Aizen-sama," Damita said as she rested her hands in her lap

"As I told you in the meeting I wished to speak with you after your training. I hope all went well by the way." Aizen stated

"Hai, it did. Grimmjow helped me get the hang of my Zanpaktou." She replied not even raising her head to look at him

"That is good to hear." He smiled as he leaned over and gently grabbed her hand, "Is something wrong, Damita?"

"NO!...No I'm just a little exhausted from training so hard." She replied pretending to have aches and pains

"You have been working quite diligently. You are in need of a break and you need to relax." He said. Damita hoped he would let her leave but what he did next made her jump. Before she could blink, Aizen had positioned himself on the arm of the couch so that she was placed in between his legs.

"Aizen-sama….." Damita started but he hushed her as he started massaging her shoulders. Tension was building as she was held in place and couldn't move. "You don't have to do that, Aizen-sama."

"As I have already told you Damita I would do anything for you." Aizen replied. Her mind started to race as she thought of ways to escape without insulting him but in the current situation she was stuck. After a few moments she pretended to sigh blissfully as if he had cured her of all her pains and slowly pushed herself off of him.

"Feeling better?" Aizen asked as he mindlessly rubbed her arm

"Arigato, I feel better." She replied as she was about to stand but he grabbed her wrist suddenly

"You are nervous." Aizen said as he watched her closely, "Why?"

"No I'm not…..I just thought…I was taking up your time."Damita replied

"Was I complaining?" he smiled as he pulled her closer to him, "Damita I requested your presence because I wanted you here with me. I must apologize for our last encounter; however I cannot lie to you, it is a challenge not being able to touch you, hold you, and please you as I once did. Even now I want you." Before Damita could reply, he suddenly kissed her. Her eyes widened as it started as a slow kiss but as Aizen slid a hand down her side the kiss deepened. Need was getting the better of him, finally he would have her and nothing would stop him. Or so he thought. As he pushed Damita down on the couch and move a hand into her top, he had a rude awaking of being shoved away.

"Gomenasai," Damita quickly said as she sat up on the couch. She tried to see if she could just remain still and ignore what he was doing but it made her feel disgusting. Nothing in her craved to have him touch her, if anything she wanted to have him replaced with Grimmjow.

"Don't apologize Damita," Aizen sighed, he was at his wits end with her. He wanted her now and it was becoming a pain having to _win_ her affection. He was getting to a point where he would have to take her without caring, but that wasn't how he wanted it to happen. He hadn't gone through all of these experiments and lies just to have to forcefully take her. If that was the case he could have taken her as Hoshiko. He wanted her to want him; desire him, beg him to make her his.

"I should go. I have upset you." Damita said as she headed for the door but she wasn't quick enough. As her hand reached out for the door knob he was behind her and embraced her tightly.

"Please, Damita. Don't leave me like this. I can't help my reaction to you. A man can only avoid temptation for so long before he has no choice but to indulge himself." He stated as he pulled her closer against his body. Slowly he moved a hand down her stomach and nestled there before traveling back up to cup her breast. Damita's eyes widened as she tried to elbow him but he shunpoed and changed their position. Her mind swirled as she was now pushed against a wall and he had a hand on either side of her head, "I have no choice but to make you desire me again, Damita." Suddenly she slapped him across the face and waited for his reaction. But by the look in his eyes it seemed to have turned him on. Lust was clearly written in them as the chocolate colored orbs burned over her body. He was about to advance on her when there was a hard knock at the door. Aizen almost yelled in frustration; he had her where he wanted her and could take what he longed for after all these centuries but whoever was at the door was persistent. Damita felt a weight lift from her shoulders, deep down she hoped it was Grimmjow coming to save her but as Aizen walked over to the door and opened it she was surprised.

"What is it Gin?" Aizen's words were drenched with annoyance

"My deepest apologies Aizen," Gin started as he glanced at Damita, "There is a matter I would like to speak with you about."

"Whatever it is, it can be handled without interrupting me." Aizen stated

"….I think not; it involves _sensitive_ matters." Gin replied as he glanced at Damita. Aizen looked at her as well and sighed. Whatever it was that Gin wanted to talk about he wouldn't leave until the matter was addressed.

"Will you excuse us Damita," Aizen stated annoyed.

"Of course," Damita almost whispered as she quickly walked past the two men. As she did she silently thanked Gin as she feared what could have happened if he hadn't interrupted. Practically running down the halls she turned the corner to go to her room but as she did a pair of arms wrapped around her. Struggling against them she screamed in rage.

"Stop it's me." Damita stopped as she realized that it was Grimmjow. He held her tightly as she clung to him, "What happened?"

"Gin-sama needed to speak with him so I was asked to leave." Damita replied

"What did Aizen do to you?" Grimmjow continued as his temper was growing

"Nothing really…but he….he was pushing himself on me and if Gin didn't interrupt I don't know what would have happened." She replied shaking her head at the thought of Aizen forcing himself on her

"He won't fuckin' touch you again, I promise." He said

"What are you doing here?" Damita asked suddenly realizing he was headed in the direction of Aizen's room

"I was coming to get you," Grimmjow replied, "I couldn't just stand there and let him do whatever he wanted to you."

"Grimmjow….."

_**Flashback**_

_Weeks had gone by and Hoshiko was staying strong at the academy; Asako and Rikashi had become her best friends and made things easier for her to deal with. She was improving and becoming better as the days went by. She was surprised in herself, she was actually on the path to being a Shinigami and it felt good. _

"_This a pain!" Asako complained, Hoshiko laughed at her friend's annoyance; Asako always complained about any work they had to do in class. It wasn't that she couldn't do the work she just didn't want to. Asako was just lazy and seemed to only care about guys and sleeping. But she was a good friend to her. _

"_You should be used to this by now Asako so stop complaining." Rikashi stated as he focused on the day's lesson_

"_Shut up Rikashi, no one asked for your opinion." Asako said as she stuck her tongue out at him. _

"_Whatever." Was his only reply_

"_Whatever?" Asako looked at him oddly, "You normally get at me better than that. What's wrong with you? Are you on your period or something?" she waited for him to snap at her but he only remained indulged in the lesson._

"_Are you okay Rikashi?" Hoshiko asked_

"_I'm fine." He replied_

"_Ohhhhh I know why he's so crabby tonight's that dinner at the Kuchiki house and his family is attending. What's wrong they going to leave you at home like a good little doggie?" Asako stated_

"_I have to be there also." Rikashi replied, Hoshiko completely forgot about the dinner. It was supposed to be an honor for Byakuya; few other prestigious families were coming to speak with him about something but she wasn't told what. _

"_Then why so moody? It should be fun, I will be there." Asako smiled_

"_Just drop it okay." Rikashi groaned_

"_Well fine." Asako groaned, "…I still love you Rikashi." Hoshiko laughed and watched as Rikashi couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his lips. _

"_You're a loser Asako." Rikashi sighed_

"_You guys are crazy." Hoshiko said_

"_That's why you love us." Asako smiled. The day continued with more training and when it was over Hoshiko headed home to see if she could help get things ready for the dinner. She was surprised to walk into the house and see it already decorated. It looked beautiful. Food was already being made and servers were preparing the tables._

"_How many people are coming?" She wondered out loud_

"_Three honored families; each having at least six members attending." She turned to find Renji walking up to her_

"_Wow." Hoshiko stated, suddenly she narrowed her eyes at him_

"_What?" he asked as he noticed the look she was giving him_

"_Now you're talking to me?" Hoshiko asked sarcastically, Renji sighed. He deserved that. He had been distant from her for the last couple weeks. He knew she didn't remember anything about her night of celebration but he felt weird being around her. He still wondered if she was attracted to him and if he should tell her his own feelings. Since he didn't know what to do, he was avoiding her._

"_You have the right to be angry with me." Renji said_

"_You and Byakuya-sama have been treating me like I have a virus or something. I barely see either of you anymore." Hoshiko groaned_

"_Gomenasai." He said, "I have been busy with duties lately and since you're in the academy now our time won't be like before."_

"_Yeah let that be you excuse." She said, she knew he was right they both were busy and after all he was a Fuku Taichou and Byakuya was a Taichou. "I forgive you….for now."_

"_Like you had a choice." Renji laughed, "So how are things at the academy?" _

"_Good, training is a pain sometimes." Hoshiko replied _

_"Well it will just get harder. In a couple weeks you will be learning kido," he paused as he remember his days in the academy_

_"Yeah, Gengoro Onabara told me about your days of learning kido. He said hopefully I'm not as bad as you and don't burn anything down." Hoshiko laughed. _

_"I didn't burn anything except my eyebrows." He defended_

_"Is that why they look like that?" Hoshiko teased_

_"Shut up." He groaned as he playfully shoved her shoulder_

_"Don't be mad at me. Not my fault you couldn't do kido to save your life." She replied shoving his shoulder back_

_"Whatever." Renji stated_

"_Hoshiko!" both Renji and Hoshiko turned to see Mitsu walking up to them; she bowed to Renji and grabbed Hoshiko's hands, "You need to get ready for the dinner. My mother has already set aside things for you." _

"_Huh?" was all that Hoshiko could get out as Mitsu dragged her up the stairs. When they reached Hoshiko's bedroom, she was ordered to get cleaned up. She did as they said but was nervous as she saw all of the things that were taken out for her. Are they trying to make me into a doll? She wondered as she looked at a purple kimono with a gold Obi. _

"_Is this really for me?" Hoshiko asked_

"_Of course, why should all the other women look beautiful and you be stuck in your uniform?" Mitsu replied_

"_What is this dinner for anyway? I know it's to honor Byakuya-sama but I still don't really understand what's going on?" Hoshiko asked_

"_It's to honor him as the head of the Kuchiki family and introduce him to possible engagements." Mitsu replied as Hoshiko's eyes widened_

"_Engagements?" Hoshiko asked louder then she would have liked_

"_Since Byakuya-sama is the last of the Kuchiki household and has no children, the elders encourage him to remarry. These dinners allow other noble families to suggest their daughters, sisters, nieces, etc as possible wives." Mitsu explained as Hoshiko's mind raced. She knew it was stupid to feel hurt about it but knowing that Byakuya may need to remarry made her blood run cold. The women were of respected and honored families and were probably beautiful. She feared he would find one of them attractive and…_

"_Hoshiko? Are you alright?" Mitsu asked, "Your face looks pale."_

"_Gomenasai." Hoshiko half smiled_

"_If you're worried about him falling madly in love, you can relax; Byakuya-sama never picks any of the women." Mitsu stated _

"_I'm not worried…why would I be worried?" Hoshiko asked _

"_No reason." Mitsu replied as she started to help her get dressed. Hoshiko wondered if it was that obvious that she was attracted to Byakuya, "Once you are dressed I will do your hair."_

"_You're enjoying this aren't you?" Hoshiko asked_

"_Honestly? I love dressing up and enjoy parties such as this. Its fun and it's a chance to get all made up." Mitsu replied. When Hoshiko finished putting on the kimono, Mitsu styled her hair. She wrapped her ponytail a few times and created a high bun with side part in the front. Once the pins were secure she placed a flower in her hair. _

"_Are you done? I feel like your doll right now." Hoshiko commented. She liked the idea of getting made up but the time it took made her anxious. _

"_Almost." Mitsu sighed as she adjusted her obi._

"_Are you two almost done? I need you to help me downstairs Mitsu." Rikku announced as she entered the room already dress in a blue and white kimono. _

"_Yes, I was just making last minute adjustments." Mitsu replied. Hoshiko stood up and turned so Rikku could see her._

"_Oh my," Rikku stated, "You look beautiful." _

"_Arigato." Hoshiko replied as she looked at herself in a mirror. It was odd seeing herself dressed up like this, "And arigato to you Mitsu."_

"_My pleasure." Mitsu said happily _

"_Come Mitsu, we still have work to be done." Rikku said_

"_Hai." Mitsu said_

"_I can help as well?" Hoshiko offered_

"_You are a guest tonight, Hoshiko. Also when you're ready come downstairs. I believe your friend from the academy is here looking for you." Rikku replied_

"_I will." Hoshiko said as Mitsu and Rikku left her alone. Hoshiko looked herself over one last time before she turned to leave the room as well. As she was walking down the halls few workers stop to look at her. She wondered if she had messed up her hair or did something to her kimono. She continued through the hall and made her way down the stairs. As she reached the bottom she was greeted with a wide eyed Renji, "Not you too." _

"_Hoshiko….." Renji started as he stared at her for what seemed like forever. He didn't know what to say to her, she was beautiful, _

"_Is it too much? Do I look stupid?" she asked impatient for his answer_

"_You look amazing." He finally replied, "Honestly you look really beautiful Hoshiko." _

"_Arigato Renji." Hoshiko said as a blush formed on her cheeks. She felt weird as he still stared at her, "Renji…."_

"_Gomenasai," Renji replied as he quickly looked away from her_

"_You look quite fancy yourself." She noted his red and black kimono_

"_It was required." He replied_

"_Sure some of the ladies will appreciate it." Hoshiko teased. But he only watched her from the corner of his eyes,_

_Hopefully you're one of them, Renji thought as he smiled at her. _

"_There you are!" Hoshiko turned to see Asako walking up to them in a pink kimono_

"_Asako," Hoshiko smiled, "Renji this is Asako Toyama, Asako is this Abarai Renji."_

"_Nice to meet you," Renji greeted as he held his hand out for her_

"_Pleasure." Asako replied, Hoshiko noticed how Asako was eyeing Renji, "You're the Fuku Taichou of the Sixth Squad?"_

"_Yes I am." Renji Stated_

"_That's great. Hopefully one day I can say the same, being a Fuku Taichou and all." Asako commented_

"_Work hard and you will." Renji smiled. Suddenly he realized that they were still holding hands, "Gomenasai." _

"_No it was all me, guess I didn't want to let go." Asako laughed looking over the tattoos that peeked out from his kimono_

"_Well, I'll leave you ladies alone. I need to take a look around to see who's here." Renji said, "Nice meeting you Asako." _

"_You too." Asako replied_

"_I'll see you later Hoshiko." Renji said as he walked away, Asako noticed how he took a quick look at Hoshiko and smiled before he left._

"_Later Renji." Hoshiko said. When he was out of earshot Asako turned to Hoshiko and narrowed her eyes at her, "What?"_

"_You lucky bitch." Asako stated_

"_What are you talking about?" Hoshiko asked confused_

"_He is HOT! Tell me you are not dating or anything like that cause I would hate to ruin our friendship over something as sexy as that." Asako replied_

"_Me and Renji? No way, he's my best friend." Hoshiko said_

"_You sure about that? I mean the look in his eyes said differently." Asako stated_

"_You're taking this too seriously, trust me we're best friends he's pretty much like a brother to me." Hoshiko replied_

"_If you say so." Asako laughed, "So if that's the case you won't mind if I take a few dances with him during this little event. Hopefully one of them is a dance in my room." _

"_You are way too much." Hoshiko sighed_

"_But you love me." Asako smiled, "Hey look there's Rikashi and his family." Hoshiko looked towards the door and saw Rikashi walking in with an elder man and woman with young woman in front of him, "That must be Mitsuko."_

"_Mitsuko?" Hoshiko asked_

"_That's the Nagano family; the man is Yasuo Nagano and his wife, Shizu. The young woman is Mitsuko their daughter." Asako replied_

"_Nagano?" Hoshiko wondered as she knew Rikashi's family name was Hokkaido._

"_Rikashi is adopted; his family died when he was a kid. The Nagano family took him in as a servant but I think the plan is for him to be a protector of Mitsuko since she will be the head of the family."Asako replied_

"_How do you know all of this?" Hoshiko asked amazed_

"_Good ears and a lot of connections." Asako replied, "Hey Rikashi." At his name Rikashi turned to them but continued walking. He only stopped when Mitsuko paused to wave at them. _

"_She's friendly." Hoshiko smiled_

"_She should rub some of that politeness off on Rikashi." Asako stated as she and Hoshiko walked up to the family and bowed._

"_Konbanwa," Hoshiko and Asako greeted_

"_What do you two want?" Rikashi sighed_

"_We are being polite, you should try it." Asako stated_

"_Konbanwa." Mitsuko stepped from behind Rikashi and smiled at them. Hoshiko and Asako smiled and were taken at how beautiful she was. She was small compared to Rikashi's tall frame, had long wavy raven hair, light green eyes and a warming smile, "Are these your friends from the academy, Rikashi?" _

"_Unfortunately," Rikashi replied_

"_Rikashi, don't be so mean to your friends." Mitsuko stated_

"_Especially when you have so few." Asako coughed_

"_Pleasure to meet both of you." Mitsuko smiled as she shook Asako's hand. As she was turning to Hoshiko, her father came and pulled her away._

"_Come Mitsuko, let us take out seats." _

"_Alright father." Mitsuko replied but to her father's disgust before she walked away she grabbed Hoshiko's hand, "Pleasure to meet you again."_

"_Pleasure to meet you too." Hoshiko smiled, "Let me guess your adopted father doesn't want her touching Kuchiki prisoners."_

"_Among others." Rikashi replied_

"_She is adorable! I mean honestly there is no question you're adopted." Asako commented, "I wouldn't be surprised if Byakuya Kuchiki fell head over heels for her." _

_Both Hoshiko and Rikashi stood motionless; Asako could feel the discomfort between the two of them. _

"_Talk about a cold breeze." Asako said, suddenly she saw Renji talking with a few people, "Well I'm going to see myself out of this conversation." _

_They two remained quiet as Asako's words still lingered; Hoshiko agreed Mitsuko was beautiful and she seemed really nice. She imagined Hisana was like that as well. She glanced at Rikashi and noticed he still looked disappointed._

"_You alright Rikashi?" Hoshiko asked_

"_Yeah." He replied, "I'm going to get some air." Hoshiko watched as he walked away. Soon she looked around and realized that the event had already started. People were engaged in conversation or showing off the possible interests to others. _

"_Quite annoying isn't it?" Hoshiko was surprised to hear Mitsuko's voice, "Gomenasai, I didn't mean to startle you."_

"_No it's fine, I just didn't expect you…." Hoshiko started as she glanced at her father_

"_Old families have stupid beliefs and one of them is we should not converse with…." Mitsuko paused as she thought about her words carefully_

"_People like me. I understand." Hoshiko found the words for her _

"_Believe me when I say I don't share those opinions." Mitsuko said_

"_I do, otherwise you wouldn't be talking to me." Hoshiko replied as she smiled_

"_I came over here to apologize for my father and also to talk with you about Rikashi." Mitsuko said shyly, "Is he okay in the academy? He doesn't talk much about it when he is home so I wanted to ask you how things were with him."_

_Hoshiko watched her closely, she was nervous talking about Rikashi, "He's doing well; Rikashi, Asako and myself are assigned as a team and he helps us a lot."_

"_That's wonderful." Mitsuko smiled. The two continued talking until people started clapping; Hoshiko looked over the crowd to see Byakuya walking down the stairs in a black and gray Kimono. It was Hoshiko's turn to act shy, she couldn't help but admire how handsome he looked. She could hear people greeting him and trying to get a chance to talk with him before others. _

"_And so the show starts….." Mitsuko sighed. Hoshiko couldn't hear anything being said as she continued to watch Byakuya walk down the stairs. The closer he got the quieter the room became. Suddenly he turned towards their direction and her heart stopped. Byakuya slowly his steps as he couldn't take his eyes away. Hoshiko assumed he was looking at Mitsuko; his stare was so intense and he completely stopped in his steps. Unknowing to Hoshiko hadn't even noticed Mitsuko, he was transfixed on her. He requested Mitsu to dress her up for the night but he never expected this. She was breathtaking. He tried not to stare but it was impossible. It wasn't until Yasuo Nagano bowed to him and started talking that he had no choice but to turn away from Hoshiko. When Yasuo waved at his daughter, Hoshiko figured Byakuya wanted to speak with her. Mitsuko smiled and hesitantly walked over to her father as Hoshiko stood quiet. What is this feeling? She wondered. Is it jealousy? But Byakuya and her were not together. Hoshiko was lost in her thoughts she wasn't even sure what they were. Were they friends? Was she just a prisoner in his home? Hoshiko's head began to hurt as she could only watch Mitsuko's father display her to Byakuya. She knew Mitsuko was beautiful, how could Byakuya not be interested in her?_


End file.
